The Batman: A Surprisingly Fresh Take on a Well-Known Character

Every person who is walking into a screening of The Batman this weekend is familiar with the basic origin story for the character. Bruce Wayne witnesses the death of his parents and vows to keep the tragedy that befell him from happening to anyone else. It is a noble sentiment that has powered thousands of issues of comic books over the course of over 80 years. Because of how well this concept has worked over the decades, The Batman does not need to waste time relitigating the same parts of the story that the viewer already knows, allowing for a deeper dive into the character’s psyche.

The Batman is a loose adaptation of the iconic 1996 comic The Long Halloween, along with another comic that saying the name of would spoil part of the plot. It allows for major character arcs that have not been explored theatrically. First off, it allows for an exploration of the “world greatest detective” aspect of the character. At nearly three hours long, the movie wastes no time diving into the story and breaking down what the problem that Batman has to solve is. There is a mysterious serial killer how is exposing the hypocrisy of those in power of Gotham City and Batman is trying to stop him from killing more people. This is a problem that cannot be solved by punching someone and screaming so watching Batman interpret a crime scene and solve puzzles is refreshing.

This film uniquely shows an early iteration of Batman, but a version of the character that is already active in Gotham City. He has the costume, has a prototypical Batmobile, and something that resembles an early version of his moral code. This movie is not about learning why he acts; the film assumes that a viewer walks into the theater knowing that. This story is about Bruce Wayne changing from a violent weapon to instill fear in the criminal element of Gotham City into a symbol of hope and a true hero who looks out for the innocent. This is epitomized when there are multiple scenes in this movie where Batman is helping by actively choosing to save people, including a powerful scene where he chooses to save a child’s life over catching the Riddler.

The movie is very inspired by traditional film noir, painting Gotham City as a neon-bathed and labyrinthian version of the gothic city that has been the norm since Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. Robert Pattinson delivers monologues that walk the line between Bruce Wayne and Batman in an interesting way that has not been done in film before. It is as if he is delivering the narration boxes that one would find in a comic book to clue the reader in on a character’s mental state. Zoe Kravitz does a great job playing Selina Kyle who takes on the traditional femme fatale role.

It is a love letter to the legacy of the character in the comics with multiple easter eggs for both long time fans and newcomers to the character. It is a Gotham City that feels insulated from a wider DC universe (definitively not in continuity with any established universe to this point) but there is depth to the world nonetheless. There is a great moment about halfway through the movie that has callbacks to a number of iconic storylines, and even features a subtle reference to The Flashpoint Paradox. It leaves the viewer desiring a sequel immediately so they can jump right back into this rich world that has been created. Maybe next time the story could be a fresh take on Court of Owls, A Death in the Family, or Mad Love.

The Batman is now playing in theaters and is worth the three-hour runtime and seeing it on a premium screen. That said, if one cannot justify doing that right now, it will be appearing on HBOMax on April 19th, 2022.

Final Rating: 9.5/10 (There is one minor gripe with the moment, however to address it would be to spoil something in the last ten minutes or so of the movie.)

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