The Batman (2022) - Film Review (no spoilers)

I've always preferred the dark realism of DC films over Marvel's blue skies and formulaic comic relief. The trailer had been out for a while and I'd told everyone I knew the movie wouldn't be able to hold a candle to Nolan's trilogy. I was wrong. Well, not entirely.

The newest Batman is every bit as gritty as it promised to be, with Matt Reeves' interpretation of Gotham capturing the hopelessness and degeneration of the city brilliantly. Pattinson's noir Batman is very different from Bale's or Affleck's - from something more primal and rage-filled in the fight sequences, to a far more morose Bruce Wayne, there is a very real sense of David Fincher about the film. That was something others took issue with, but I totally loved the broken eyes and long hair - the look into how being Batman eats away at Bruce too, especially just two years into donning the cape, and honestly, Cullen was one of the highlights of the movie for me. I was also blown away by how minimal the use of fancy gadgets was through the film, coupled with how the caped crusader has to actually solve crimes rather than just be a part of a boring Bond movie with life hack tools that belong on a 5-Minute-Crafts video. The ambience, music by Michael Giacchino and the visuals were all expertly interwoven as well. There were even quite a few metaphors sprinkled generously around the three hours, most of which felt spoon-fed at times, but ultimately were excusably good enough.

Bringing on the Riddler as the major villain was an interesting and popular choice, but the way he was used was rather flawed - an apparent nobody who manages to stay 2 steps ahead at all times, the Batman can only play catch-up throughout the film, picking up on clues left on purpose, learning only what the Riddler, wants him to. One of the biggest let-downs for me was Zoe Kravitz' Catwoman, a crowd favourite I couldn't help but feel was just another unconvincing Catwoman half the time, with her pretentiously overdone walks and awful attempts at her character's sass. Of course, Hollywood's incessant need to pump political propaganda blatantly with a totally unnecessary "white, privileged a*******" dialogue really put the icing on the dung cake. The plot also caught a mild case of wannabe 'Dark Knight-ism' with the climax, but wholly forgot the centrality of Batman to it while actually executing counter-plots against the Joker in the original. Undeniably, a little something just felt missing throughout.

I must say that even though my expectations were low, the movie was definitely a great watch, especially on IMAX. The backstory that ties into the film, artistic choices, the portrayal of Gotham as a modern Gomorrah, the soundtrack, the Battinson and the steering away from the trap of a one-dimensional thread, all made the movie for me and would be an easy 8 if the Dark Knight were rated 9 on a 10-point scale.