As far back as I can remember there has always been Batman fanboy outrage. I was too young to remember the backlash when Mr. Mom was cast for Tim Burton's Batman film. I however was one of the voices that was against Heath Ledger as the Joker for Christopher Nolan's Batman film. But I was in favor of Ben Affleck as Batman when he was announced. And I was also in favor of Robert Pattinson playing the Dark Knight for director Matt Reeves. Some fans were discouraged with Pattinson's casting because they only knew him from the Twilight franchise, and never bothered to watch some of his other films like High Life or Good Time. With Matt Reeves at the helm and Pattinson starring I knew The Batman was in good hands.
It's year two of Bruce Wayne's mission to instill fear in all the criminals of Gotham City. It's all he cares about. This to me this is a bit refreshing compared to other movie interpretations. It seems like Bruce is always just trying to get laid, from Vicki Vale to Rachel Dawes. That was also one of the things I liked about Affleck's Batman, any time he was out as Bruce Wayne it was just a way to get more information for Batman. Pattinson's Bruce was very similar but in a young and inexperienced way compared to Affleck's more seasoned Caped Crusader. That's my favorite version of the character. There is no Bruce Wayne, there is only Batman. In this film Bruce is still young and full of rage, thinking he must become what criminals fear, but by the end of the film he realizes he must also be a symbol of hope for the citizen of Gotham. My only gripe about Pattinson's Batman is that he moves to freely among the people. He walks into crowded crime scenes and rescue mobs. I think Batman should only be seen by few and heard by less.
Paul Dano's Riddler was one of the more terrifying Batman villains we've had on film. But I wasn't quite sure WHY he was doing what he was doing. He uncovered a government conspiracy and started killing everyone involved, but why did he care? Did he actually think he was doing good for the people of Gotham (whom he later had his minions try and kill)? Colin Farrell's Penguin is said to be getting his own HBO Max series, though I'm not sure why. I mean, I think he was a good character that can be expanded upon in future films, and I look forward to it, but there wasn't much there that had me asking WB executives for a Penguin spin-off series. I'd rather see him stick to a reoccurring side character in the film franchise.
Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle I knew was going to have big paws to fill. Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman is legendary, and to me Anne Hathaway was the best part of The Dark Knight Rises. Seeing how this is still early Batman, and his rogue's gallery, I have to give Kravitz some leniency as I do Pattinson. In this film Bruce is stilling trying to figure out the whole Batman persona and what he is going to become, and so is Selina. Catwoman to me oozes confidence, and this version seemed to lack composure. She was a bit irrational in dealing with the death of her supposed friend and how to deal with her crime boss father (which I wasn't a fan of that story arc). I'd much rather see Kravitz's Catowman be a skilled burglar who uses Gotham's current condition to her advantage by stealing pretty things from petty people. No, that wasn't a typo. But I thought Pattinson and Kravitz had sexual chemistry. And that's all we really want between the two of them, right?
The main cast was rounded out by Jeffery Wright as James Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred. Serkis I felt didn't get a lot of screen time, but served his purpose as being a catalyst for Bruce's emotional journey. I liked how Gordon worked closely with Batman to where is seemed like they were partners. He trusted Batman more than he did some police officers. I just hope we get more personal with him in future films like we did with Gary Oldman.
The first hour of this film I think I had a smile on my face. Batman's intro of slowly stepping out of the shadows at the train station and then beating some fools was great. As the story progressed it did start to wain a bit, and I felt like the film could have been 20 minutes shorter. It almost has as many fake endings as The Return of the King. The cinematography and sets were great, and I love this Batsuit best out of all of them due to its functionality. This was said to be a darker film than any other Batman film, but aside from a thumb I didn't see anything worse than what we got from The Dark Knight.
All the gripes I heard about this film range from not enough Bruce Wayne to having an empty story. I think those opinions can be valid, but I appreciated the different interpretation Reeves and Warner Bros took with a character that audiences have seen so many times. And no matter how you feel about The Batman I have no heard one complaint about Robert Pattinson. He's no longer "that guy from Twilight." He's Batman.
