Directed by: Matt Reeves
Written by: Matt Reeves
and Peter Craig
Starring: Robert Pattinson,
Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano
and many more
Rating: 5 of 8
The Batman
Sometimes it can be hard to see what other people see in something. It doesn't even have to be a film, but can really be anything at all. Sometimes you just can't see why other people hate something, as I couldn't with Man of Steel or Pokémon Sword. But others, you just can't understand why people love something. Six years ago, I saw a lot of people delighted with Tom Holland's debut as Spider-Man and I just couldn't understand why.
To this day, I still can't see what other people see in his iteration of the web-slinger and now, I feel the same way about The Batman. A large number of people love the film, but I just can't see why. To me, the film is unsettling in all the worst ways and, though a number of other Batman films have been pretty disturbing, particularly The Dark Knight or Batman Returns, few have felt quite as unsettling as The Batman. Unfortunately, that feeling rarely ever lets up, so if you were looking for some respite, you're probably not going to find it.
Throughout the film, a very different version of the Riddler wreaks havoc on an already rather chaotic Gotham City by targeting the corrupt, in an incredibly violent way. Unlike most versions of the Riddler, instead of trying to prove how smart he is by leaving various clues, here he uses his twisted games to expose the city's corruption. I don't have so much a problem with his motivation as his costume, which is overly subdued, and Dano's performance, which is sometimes a bit too over the top.
When he's upset, he acts more like a child that isn't getting their own way and less like an angry, frustrated serial killer, which is what he is. If he had played even his anger with a bit more restraint, I would've been happier. His isn't the only performance I had a problem with, as I felt like Pattinson's Batman had the opposite problem, as he was overly subdued as both Bruce and Batman. He didn't have the same confidence I'd expect from Bruce, or the commanding presence I'd expect from the Dark Knight, so I was largely disappointed in his Batman.
I was also disappointed by just how underwhelming his relationship with Alfred (Andy Serkis), his loyal butler, is. Part of it might be because they have so few scenes together, so we don't really get the sense that they're that close. Though that might be the point, it's still disappointing to see a traditionally rather close pair being very much the opposite. Despite my disappointment with Dano and Pattinson's performances, I was pleasantly surprised by Zoe Kravitz, who was very good as a Catwoman on a quest for vengeance, salvation and much more besides.
Jeffrey Wright is pretty good as a Lieutenant Gordon, who has a much more active role here than he usually has. Though I would've liked more of Batman with Alfred, I have no complaints about how much we got to see him and Gordon together. On the other side of the law, John Turturro delivers a silky smooth performance as crime boss Carmine Falcone, who oozes with a quiet menace, though Colin Farrell's Penguin just doesn't fit, especially compared to other iterations, particularly Robin Lord Taylor's.
Though the film has a number of problems, one of it's biggest has got to be it's run time, which is just far too long. At a certain point, the film just wore on me and I really wanted it to be over, but even when I thought it was near the end, there was still more to go. Whenever you feel that way about a film, that's a really bad sign.
Apart from a handful of memorable performances, there are some other things to like about the film, like how Batman absorbs information, which is unique to this film. Aside from that, there's a very welcome note of hope further into the film, which feels like Batman could be moving from a more vengeful path into a far brighter one. This is especially welcome given the sense of horror that comes from Batman here. There's not enough of a sense of hope to balance it out, which is needed with a hero that seeks to do both.
But all of that isn't enough to recommend the film, as some of the key performances are uneven, the film is far longer than it needs to be and it's far more unsettling than I expected, which makes for a rather unpleasant viewing experience.
