I’ve just had a video chat with NotGeorgeLucas which will be online soon. My advice is to not watch it if your wife or girlfriend is in the same room because we are eye candy and we don’t want to be inundated with marriage proposals.
OK then, let’s get straight into this.
Film Style
This film is as far removed from a Marvel movie as it’s possible to get. Much more inline with Joker than anything else. It’s dirty and gritty and as I predicted, it is Se7en but with Batman.
There are no shots in perfect focus, it doesn’t look like a 4K, glossy comic book brought to life on screen. It’s almost as if this was completely green screen free. Yeah I know that’s impossible in this day and age but none of it feels like it was filmed in a studio.
This has side characters out of focus or obscured by rain on the lens, it honestly looks like the camera crew had no protection from the elements and when it’s raining they and their equipment get just as wet and dirty as the cast.
This is typical Matt Reeves’ style that he seems to love and if you have seen both of his brilliant Planet Of The Apes movies, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Gotham City
What a shit hole, and so it should be. This Gotham is total filth, hopeless, scary, much closer to Burton’s Batman movie than Nolan’s. In fact, one of my rare criticisms of Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises was that Gotham City actually looked OK – the irony being it was shot in Chicago.
This Gotham City made you dread the thought of going there let alone living there. It’s almost as if you could smell it coming off the screen.
Robert Pattinson
He is nothing like a Batman you’ve seen before. It’s often said in previous Batman films that Batman is Bruce Wayne’s real identity but I never felt like that was explored properly.
Previous iterations of Wayne showed that he was comfortable playing the socialite, the ladies man, the business mogul. With Pattison’s Bruce Wayne, you can see he clearly detests it. He’s hunched over, softly spoken, and does not often make eye contact. He’s a moody introvert and clearly damaged.
But as Batman he’s taller, straight backed, chest puffed out and oozes confidence. He talks in his real voice, not the growl we’ve come to expect. Pattison has flipped the identities and Bruce is the disguise.
It’s very similar to how Christopher Reeve expertly portrayed both Superman and Clark with this scene being the perfect example.
The Batman
I know this version of Batman is only two years in, but there are no silky ninja skills on show here, no controlled anger. He is uncontrolled fury, all too eager to let fly with his fists.
Everything looks homemade and tactical. No high-tech gadgets, smoke grenades or a cape that can become a glider with the mere hint of an electric current. Nope, this suit looks like it has had things added to it over the years as a result of having learned the hard way.
This Batman is out for long periods patrolling the streets, literally surviving Gotham, by himself and the suits also looks like it has been built for longevity.
Even the Batmobile is built at home. There’s a camera shot showing parts of the engine, chains, spark plugs etc all immaculately laid out on a table. Suggesting that it routinely gets upgraded by Batman and Alfred themselves.
Supporting Cast
Penguin looks brilliant and Farrell is great. I’ve seen criticism that he’s a little underused but there is a spinoff show coming and you see why at the end of the film. Be patient people because I think we’re going to get a lot more of him moving forward.
Catwoman for me was too small and slight and not very sexy, Catwoman is sexy – Pfeiffer and Hathaway were sexy and dangerous. Kravitz looks about 4’ tall and probably weighs 5 stone soaking wet. If they ever make a biopic about Prince, she would be the perfect choice to play the purple one.
Lieutenant Gordon is a bit of a non event. I’ll be honest, I don’t like Jeffrey Wright either onscreen or off. He’s an average actor at best and in every role he’s had from Boardwalk Empire, Westworld and now this, he mumbles his way through scenes and brings nothing to the table.
Finally The Riddler. Paul Dano typically plays that weirdo, quiet character in most roles he takes on but he is great in this. Highly influenced by the real life Zodiac Killer and often in costume, Dano uses his voice to maximise his menace and mixes it with sudden bursts of violence. The first time you see him on screen is unsettling.
In this film, Riddler and Batman are two sides of the same coin. Both driven by rage and determined to right many wrongs. However, where Batman targets criminals at all levels of society in an attempt to make Gotham better, Riddler just seems to want to punish Gotham as a whole.
Final Thoughts
I’ve tried to write a review without spoilers which is difficult because there’s so much to discuss.
I will say that 3 hours is too long. I don’t mind a long film, in fact I’d rather watch a three hour movie than a 90 minute one, but I feel this would have benefited from a 20-30 minutes cut.
Don’t go into this expecting something you’ve seen before. With the exception of Joker, I can’t think of a superhero film remotely similar to The Batman.
If you’re not familiar with the source material, my advice would be to check out the Batman graphic novels Year One and The Long Halloween. Take a look at the works of Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo with Joker or Batman Damned. These will give you an idea of who the target audience is for The Batman.
DC fans and Marvel fans are vastly different. If DC fans wanted Marvel, we’d be Marvel fans and vice versa. To me, Marvel are McDonalds, Pepsi and comic books. DC are a steak, a scotch and a graphic novel.
You can enjoy both and it’s OK to be different.
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