Most comic book movies have been action movies without too much gravitas, but Matt Reeves directed a noir thriller where Batman’s work as “The World’s Greatest Detective” was at the forefront. 

‘The Batman’ has its fair share of action scenes and they feature some of the best fight scenes seen in any Batman movie.

There was concern and criticism made about the casting decision to have Robert Pattinson portray the Caped Crusader, but he gave a near-perfect performance based on Reeves’ story.

Pattinson plays a grounded, grim version of Batman, which is comic-accurate and aided the story well. He is an encapsulation of the dark and gritty environment of Gotham City. 

There are many instances where Pattinson conveys much emotion without speaking. He has chemistry with everyone, especially Catwoman and Jim Gordon. 

It is too early to tell whether or not Pattinson is among the best to dawn the cape and cowl, but he held his own and silenced the critics.

There were no flaws in the supporting cast as all actors did their part superbly. Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman was more than just a sidekick to Batman as she played Selina Kyle to a tee. 

She has a tragic story throughout the film and maintains a close, yet distant relationship with Batman. She aids Batman while simultaneously fighting her own battles. 

Kravitz may not have topped Michelle Pfeifer’s performance as Catwoman in ‘Batman Returns’, but she did not disappoint.

Paul Dano as The Riddler was fantastic. Easily the best Batman villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker, The Riddler was a sadistic serial killer who dominated the film. 

The Riddler is known for being a wacky villain that gives Batman riddles to solve, but Dano delivered a maniacal, calculated performance that stole the show. 

The Riddler was clearly based on the legend of the Zodiac Killer with Riddler’s mask being nearly a carbon-copy of Zodiac’s. It was a great decision as it made Riddler a realistic villain. Riddler’s plan was elaborate and caused a lot of suffering for the protagonists, and Dano delivered an excellent performance.

Jeffrey Wright was an amazing Jim Gordon. His partnership with Batman made them feel like great friends and they were excellent tag team partners in solving The Riddler’s great mystery. 

He delivers a primarily soft-spoken performance while maintaining a level of seriousness that absolutely fits. Wright rivals the great Gary Oldman in best portrayals of Jim Gordon.

The other prominent characters in the film held their own as well. Colin Farrell had a remarkable performance as The Penguin. 

Farrell is unrecognizable in the film – both by looks and sound. He was not featured in a great number of scenes, but he stole each scene he was in with a modern gangster type of character. 

John Turturro played crime boss Carmine Falcone in a chilling yet likable way. He pulls a lot of strings in Gotham City and is a major factor in the plot. 

Andy Serkis was great as Alfred Pennyworth in the few scenes he was in. While he was not a prominently-featured character, Serkis convincingly portrayed that he was a father figure to Batman. 

It is well-known that Batman is the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, but this movie chooses to flip the script. 

Instead, Bruce Wayne is rarely shown as Batman spends the entire movie trying to solve the mystery of The Riddler. It was a stylistic choice to not differentiate between Bruce Wayne and Batman as previous iterations of the characters have, but it works well in ‘The Batman’.

Comic fans will notice the parallels between the film and ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ as Batman spends the plot using his detective skills to solve a case involving connected murders. 

The movie hammers the point home as the film takes place on Halloween. 

This film has similarities to prior installments – particularly the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy – but it is a completely unique Batman experience.

 It is a three hour movie that flies by as the suspense never ceases throughout the runtime. It is paced incredibly well and it never feels dull.

 It is too early to tell if The Batman is the greatest Batman film to date, but it certainly belongs in the conversation.

Rating: 4.5/5

‘The Batman’ was one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2022 and it did not disappoint.

Most comic book movies have been action movies without too much gravitas, but Matt Reeves directed a noir thriller where Batman’s work as “The World’s Greatest Detective” was at the forefront. 

‘The Batman’ has its fair share of action scenes and they feature some of the best fight scenes seen in any Batman movie.

There was concern and criticism made about the casting decision to have Robert Pattinson portray the Caped Crusader, but he gave a near-perfect performance based on Reeves’ story.

Pattinson plays a grounded, grim version of Batman, which is comic-accurate and aided the story well. He is an encapsulation of the dark and gritty environment of Gotham City. 

There are many instances where Pattinson conveys much emotion without speaking. He has chemistry with everyone, especially Catwoman and Jim Gordon. 

It is too early to tell whether or not Pattinson is among the best to dawn the cape and cowl, but he held his own and silenced the critics.

There were no flaws in the supporting cast as all actors did their part superbly. Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman was more than just a sidekick to Batman as she played Selina Kyle to a tee. 

She has a tragic story throughout the film and maintains a close, yet distant relationship with Batman. She aids Batman while simultaneously fighting her own battles. 

Kravitz may not have topped Michelle Pfeifer’s performance as Catwoman in ‘Batman Returns’, but she did not disappoint.

Paul Dano as The Riddler was fantastic. Easily the best Batman villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker, The Riddler was a sadistic serial killer who dominated the film. 

The Riddler is known for being a wacky villain that gives Batman riddles to solve, but Dano delivered a maniacal, calculated performance that stole the show. 

The Riddler was clearly based on the legend of the Zodiac Killer with Riddler’s mask being nearly a carbon-copy of Zodiac’s. It was a great decision as it made Riddler a realistic villain. Riddler’s plan was elaborate and caused a lot of suffering for the protagonists, and Dano delivered an excellent performance.

Jeffrey Wright was an amazing Jim Gordon. His partnership with Batman made them feel like great friends and they were excellent tag team partners in solving The Riddler’s great mystery. 

He delivers a primarily soft-spoken performance while maintaining a level of seriousness that absolutely fits. Wright rivals the great Gary Oldman in best portrayals of Jim Gordon.

The other prominent characters in the film held their own as well. Colin Farrell had a remarkable performance as The Penguin. 

Farrell is unrecognizable in the film – both by looks and sound. He was not featured in a great number of scenes, but he stole each scene he was in with a modern gangster type of character. 

John Turturro played crime boss Carmine Falcone in a chilling yet likable way. He pulls a lot of strings in Gotham City and is a major factor in the plot. 

Andy Serkis was great as Alfred Pennyworth in the few scenes he was in. While he was not a prominently-featured character, Serkis convincingly portrayed that he was a father figure to Batman. 

It is well-known that Batman is the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, but this movie chooses to flip the script. 

Instead, Bruce Wayne is rarely shown as Batman spends the entire movie trying to solve the mystery of The Riddler. It was a stylistic choice to not differentiate between Bruce Wayne and Batman as previous iterations of the characters have, but it works well in ‘The Batman’.

Comic fans will notice the parallels between the film and ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ as Batman spends the plot using his detective skills to solve a case involving connected murders. 

The movie hammers the point home as the film takes place on Halloween. 

This film has similarities to prior installments – particularly the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy – but it is a completely unique Batman experience.

 It is a three hour movie that flies by as the suspense never ceases throughout the runtime. It is paced incredibly well and it never feels dull.

 It is too early to tell if The Batman is the greatest Batman film to date, but it certainly belongs in the conversation.

Rating: 4.5/5