Commentary by: José Reyes, asst. features editor
Matt Reeves’s “The Batman” did not feel like any other superhero film. Instead, the murder mystery plot allowed for audiences to engage with the film in a distinct fashion. Each second revealed answers to who the killer might be, while also revealing the secrets of each character. Reeves’s direction along with Peter Craigs’s writing created a universe that feels familiar to the world Americans exist in today. The two hours and 56 minutes of Reeves’s creation is raw. It does not shy away from telling the horrors that exist in Gotham, the city that Robert Pattinson’s character, Bruce Wayne, is fighting to protect.
Throughout the film, viewers see systems that are meant to protect the people of Gotham unmasked for what they really are. Paul Dano’s sadistic character the Riddler helps uncover the skeletons that these systems have buried but at the same time is a murderer. On the other hand, there is the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) who is on the hunt for the murderer of Don Mitchell, Gotham’s mayor. However, several of the officers of the GCPD are corrupt and the dead mayor is tied to an affair and city-wide scandal. The world that has been created in the film is tense because of these dramas. Pattinson’s Batman, an orphan who inherited his father’s fortune, faces the truth of who his family truly is while also fighting the crime present in Gotham. Each character’s background is complex and very different the others, but Reeves manages to merge their lives together to tell a riveting story.
The costumes, lighting and set design of the film are beautifully captured by Greig Fraser’s cinematography. Pattinson’s eyeliner is one of the few pieces of his character’s physicality that audiences continue to rage on about. The eyeliner is perfect, unlike in other Batman portrayals where the eyeliner mysteriously vanishes, the makeup in this storyline says much about Batman. The scenes where Batman smudges eyeliner on his face show that he is not the clean-cut professional that his father was. It shows that Bruce Wayne is rugged, he spends his time in the basement of his gothic-style apartment. He is vindictive, but he is also dealing with the weight of loss and is looking to channel the energy into something. The batsuit, Batman’s costume, seems to have it all. The belt buckle has every weapon and tool that Batman needs to fight criminals. His most used tool is a hook that helps him swing away from the cops that are always chasing after him. Further, a distinct feature of Batman’s costume are the military boots that he wears because they look similar to Dr. Martens. Batman’s costume ties perfectly with the emo-grunge look that Wayne has in his own apparel.
One of the most important parts of the “The Batman” is the cinematography because it gives the film power and emotion. Fraser, the same cinematographer for “Dune,” made sure that “The Batman” was shot in a way that moved the story forward. The beginning scene where the audience infers that it is the Riddler watching Mayor Mitchell is shot from the perspective of the Riddler’s binoculars. This scene sets the mood for the entire movie as it is unsettling and almost makes audience members want to look away. Batman’s Batmobile scene is one that came unexpectedly but ultimately caused audiences to gasp first and clap second. Fast-forward a few minutes and you see the same Batmobile with Batman in it flying through fire, a scene that displayed the power that Batman has. There are several opinions on the adaptation of the film, the casting and the costumes, but the cinematography is something that stands out in comparison to the other Batman films. It is work like “The Batman” that makes the theater experience worthwhile.
“The Batman” will undoubtedly create havoc for all DC Comic fans and will have people questioning who the best Batman is. However, there should be no question about the casting because Pattinson along with Zoë Kravitz’s performance as Catwoman stole the show. This adaptation has the depth needed to tell both the story of Batman and the chaos he is working to dismantle. It is everything and more than what could have been expected even after the eras of Adam West, Christian Bale and the Lego Batman.