Then I watched this movie and I take it all back. I only saw this a week ago, so I'm still in hot take mode, but this is EASILY one of the best Batman movies I have ever seen. Right now, I have Dark Knight first, this movie second and the 1989 Batman movie coming in at number 3.
There are just so many things this movie does right. It is almost a master class in how you juggle multiple villains. We also get to see Batman be, *GASP* a detective and try to solve a crime. Not in the ham fisted ways that we've seen in the past either.
In no particular order, let me talk about what I loved about this movie. First of all, we don't have to get an origin story about Bruce Wayne/Batman. It's a story that has been told to death and they don't dwell on it here. We join the story with Batman having been around for about two years. So he's still kind of an urban legend and also figuring things out. This plays out when he encounters criminals early in the movie. They build up his appearance like it was a horror movie. Scenes are filled with tension as them and the audience don't know if Batman is about to appear. Then you hear slow, deliberate footsteps.
I also love that instead of being completely antagonistic with the Gotham PD, Batman/Jim Gordan are like a buddy cop duo. They work hand in hand and show the trust in each other that makes this a more refreshing take. What I mean here is that Gordon is actively involved, just as much as Batman. Not waiting for Batman to hand off every clue to him or order him to act. The fact that he is the only one that has Batman's back against his own squad shows the position he is in.
I love the ominous, simple piano theme they use for when Batman appears. When you hear it and Batman is around, some stuff is about to go down. In the trailers, I thought his car was stupid. The way it makes it's first appearance here and when is involved in a chase scene shortly after changed all of that. It's about as practical as a Batmobile will get. Also, in two years, clearly Batman hadn't ironed out his branding yet.
I hated the Riddler's look, but it works in the context of this film and he is a great, creepy villain. You almost side with him because he is like Dexter. He's only killing the bad people, so to speak. The cat and mouse game he has with Batman drives this film and it is fantastic. A friend or two compared this movie to "Seven" and I would agree with that. This movie has some of those vibes.
For once, I thought the action was filmed well and felt pretty realistic without going over the top. It's more brawling than full on martial arts. Which really, would have been silly since he's fighting regular dudes most of the film. He fights to the level of his competition.
I loved that the stakes for this movie was to just stop the Riddler and everything drives towards that. It's not some grandiose, save the world plot. It wasn't even really to save Gotham city for most of it, as it's about trying to just track a killer. That focus helped with the intrigue as you are invested in all the characters that get caught in it's wake.
This movie had three of Batman's rogues gallery show up and it didn't feel overstuffed at all. That's been a problem in past films as they try to juggle dueling schemes between the villains or finding some stupid way for them to team up. Everyone is caught up in it, but not playing for the same team. For those wanting to keep score at home, we get Catwoman and the Penguin along with the Riddler.
One major point I want to bring up here before landing this plane. There is a lot of Batman in this film. What I mean is, in most Batman films you get equal time with Bruce Wayne, if not less. Here it is almost 75/25 Batman to Bruce Wayne on film. I always figured it was because the actors want to have their faces seen all the time (I'm looking at you EVERY Marvel movie). It says a lot that Pattinson didn't seem to have that hang up. It really helps the film. No one is paying to see Bruce Wayne.
Let me finish by saying we get some great actors here and they are given stuff to do. Robert Pattinson was a far better Batman than I thought he would be. His Batman voice is worlds away better than Christian Bale. He's not trying so hard. Jeffery Wright as Jim Gordon is inspired casting. Zoe Kravitz is fantastic as Selena Kyle/Catwoman. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot and I mean that in a good way.
Props to director Matt Reeves. If Warner Bros. is hell bent on shoving another Batman movie down our throats, I hope they stick with his sensibility for a few more noir/crime drama films. I highly recommend checking this out.
