With so many previous iterations of the same story and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, another Batman movie that stands out or ascends to that level of success was pretty minuscule.
However, Reeves’s version of Bruce Wyne’s story did not fail to entice the audience, and it was thrilling, riveting, and truly a cinematic masterpiece. It is beautiful, well-thought, raw, and has a somber and modern take.
A movie that did justice to the famous cape crusader is more emotional, touching, and humane. It does not solely focus on fighting crimes but portrays the empathy and safety of humanity in a corrupted world.
Matt Reeves and Greg Fraser Brought Gotham to Life
This excellent noir combines Fraser’s spellbinding cinematography and Reeves’ excellent direction. His direction successfully immersed people from the beginning when you hear the heavy steps of “vengeance” lurking in the shadows.
Matt Reeves has beautifully crafted a dark gothic world or, more appropriately, a rotten, forsaken city plagued by corruption and crime. The neverending rain, orange, and deep dark red hues make this distorted city even scarier.
Moreover, Matt Reeves took Batman to new and unexplored heights by expanding Gotham’s underworld of corruption in a dark, grim way. It evolved Batman more into a hero while struggling with the vulnerability of his past trauma.
Character Development and Plot
It is a suspenseful, action-packed, edgy, psychological detective thriller movie that borrows themes from Black Rain, Seven, and Zodiac. Moreover, this film is a mesh of depressing, mysterious, gritty, dark, crude, psychotic, intense, and aesthetic themes.
Plus, the movie delivers a perfect vibe of Gotham, i.e., murky, rainy, dark, slimy, and corrupt. The actors have also outdone themselves. Pattinson has beautifully captured the essence and portrayed Bruce Wayne.
The movie explores the detective side of Batman, who is edgy, brooding, mysterious, sad, and lonely. Pattinson is exceptional as the detectivesque Batman, who also happens to be an angry, relentless, vengeful, and imperfect vigilante who tries to eradicate crime from Gotham.
He has done an incredible job portraying himself as a cold-hearted man suffering from his past traumas. Batman’s raw and intense portrayal as a desperate and disillusioned vigilante made this tale even dark and riveting.
The movie is not all about combat. It discusses some mature topics and Wayne’s realization that the anger consuming him does not make him better than the ruthless, inhuman murderer he was hunting for.
Other than this, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman is a perfect match for Batman. She is the ideal iteration of Catwoman and a fascinating character that perfectly exhibits Selina’s inner turmoil.
Jeffrey Wright, who plays James Gordon, is also a highlight in the movie. He showcases his strong moral compass and unique working relationship with Batman. Gordon is more of a softer partner to the intimidating and brooding Batman.
But the thing that got us hooked is its outstanding villains. The Riddler will remind viewers of the infamous Zodiac killer. Paul Dano, as the Riddler, has stolen every scene as he has been able to maintain the balance of being goofy, scary, unhinged, and psychotic throughout the movie.
He is also the perfect counterpart who takes advantage of Bruce’s emotions. Not to mention, Colin Farrell remarkably played the antagonist Penguin – an anti-Bruce-Wayne and a dangerous villain. His flawless makeup and utterly different voice and accent make him vanish in a villainous role.
What about the Joker?
Barry Keoghan remarkably played the Joker, as seen in deleted scenes released by the Director. He perfectly molded himself into a villain and played the Joker with extreme finesse.
However, the Director did not include the scenes in the final movie because he thought it wasn’t the best time to have Joker in this extensive narrative.
But the end of the Batman movies shows Riddler locked in Arkham Asylum and is greeted by a mysterious man with a creepy laugh and facial scars that spills the beans to viewers that he is the one and only – Joker.
So, Will There Be a Sequel?
Warner Bros hasn’t announced anything about the sequel, but director Matt Reeves has confirmed that they are planning for the sequel.
Even if the Joker makes a cameo in this movie, he might be the main emphasis in the next because of his villainous partnership with the Riddler. We are only fathoming a plot here because this could be an inspiration to create a new sequel.
Also, if you want to watch the movie, it is streamable on HBO Max since the 18th of April 2022 (Source: WarnerMedia). Although The Batman 2022 has been released in theaters worldwide, it is not available on any streaming platform yet.
The Takeaway
This movie is an unconventional masterpiece that juggles several characters simultaneously with perfection. It will definitely scare you, indulge you in its captivating mystery, excite you with its action, and amaze you with its commitment to telling you a genuinely dark and gritty tale about the corruption in Gotham.
