Film Review: THE BATMAN (2022): Matt Reeves’ Reboot is a Unique, Terrifically Cast Wild Ride

The Batman Review

The Batman (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Peter McDonald, Con O’Neill, Alex Ferns, Rupert Penry-Jones, Kosha Engler and Janine Harouni.

One of director Matt Reeves’ old films is his first true feature, The Pallbearer, from 1996. It starred David Schwimmer (“Friends”) and Gwyneth Paltrow. When I first saw that movie, it was annoying and flawed yet had moments of brilliance in it. I later regretted the mixed review I wrote in 1996 and have since become a fan of that movie. It’s amazing that Reeves (after directing two terrific Planet of the Apes films) is at the level of a filmmaker that he is at now. It’s a miracle that he could rework the entire Batman franchise to the heights that he does here with the new reboot, The Batman. Almost everything about The Batman is crisp and fascinating which makes the movie one that is impossible to take your eyes off of for the duration of the picture’s three-hour running time.

A major asset of The Batman is the film’s casting. Robert Pattinson (who played Edward Cullen in the Twilight vampire film series) has risen to a level of stardom that would be impossible to predict from his early performances. While he’s not the best Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale still takes that honor), Pattinson comes in a close second. The remainder of the cast is all top notch and each plays a specific role in making The Batman absolutely breathtaking to behold.

Zoe Kravitz is the film’s most valuable player. She plays Selina Kyle, a character who seeks justice while riding her motorcycle and/or wearing the Catwoman suit. She teams up with Batman to get inside information on what is happening at a local nightclub in the early portion of the film. Kyle is able to walk through the club with a small camera-type gadget that catches glimpses of the people throughout the club. This scene is a perfectly conceived way of showing what is going on with key characters in the movie and introducing the audience to the specific corruption that is occurring in Gotham.

Surprisingly, The Batman plays out as a thriller for a lot of the film as a killer is at large who sets traps that would give Jigsaw from the Saw movies a run for his money. The film’s main story begins with some common punks terrorizing a man as he gets off a train when Batman steps in. However, the main action centers around the latest crime in Gotham, the masterminds behind it and how the professional every day people we trust can be just as dangerous as the common thugs walking the streets.

Serving as Lt. Gordon is Jeffrey Wright, undeniably one of the best character actors working today. Wright expertly conveys his character’s motivations and the character of Gordon shows the way the police must interact with the people of Gotham–both good and bad. In one of the most exciting sequences in the new film, Gordon helps The Batman escape from prison. As Batman (thanks to his bat grapple) moves up through the floors of the jail, the way this scene is structured can keep viewers very intrigued and the sheer excitement of many of the scenes in the picture is at a phenomenal level here.

There are many other sections of the film which play like gangbusters. Take into consideration a car chase scene in the movie that is simply one of the most exciting ever. Particularly noteworthy is the design of the new batmobile used in the picture. Simply visionary, one must experience the sound, fury and look of the new car chase sequence that you will certainly recognize as one of the film’s best scenes when it enters the film.

Another showstopping scene is when a church is crashed into, and it is revealed that District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) is attached to a trap. This sequence is the centerpiece of the film as it heightens and explains the work of the villain who has a plan he must pursue in order to fulfill his wicked schemes.

The Riddler (Paul Dano of There Will Be Blood in top form), the central villain of The Batman, is portrayed quite differently than one would think he would be. Long gone are the days of Jim Carrey’s The Riddler from the film of 27 years ago. This is not a “Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That” Riddler. This is a much more terrifying, realistic take on the evil character. He is even an accountant by trade. Dano has never been better than in his turn here and we get a glimpse of terror through his characterization. He looks like an everyday citizen but, in his mind, he’s actually much more complex and has a reason for doing what he does.

One of my few criticisms of The Batman is it’s use of Colin Farrell who is undeniably well-cast in the part. As Oswald Cobblepot, Farrell’s work more closely resembles a character from a future mob movie than of one in a superhero movie and it occasionally feels a little scrambled as the film goes back and forth between The Riddler and Cobblepot (AKA The Penguin) like a boomerang with Farrell turning in fine work yet falling slightly short of the vivid terror provided by Dano’s The Riddler in juxtaposition. The quality of Dano’s performance, while not quite on the level of Heath Ledger’s The Joker, is something the audience will never see coming.

Old pros John Turturro and Andy Serkis could not be better as key characters in the movie. Turturro, who is always an asset to any film he appears in, is Carmine Falcone who is in charge of organized crime and Turturro gives the character the requisite sharp edge it needs to create tension within the movie. Serkis, on the other end of the spectrum, as none other than Alfred, keeps the movie grounded a bit in-between the scenes of high tension with Serkis wonderfully conveying his character’s humanity.

Pattinson and Kravitz are the main attractions here and let’s not underestimate the strength of their work in the new movie. Pattinson has never been this solemn and his intensity is appropriate for the Bruce Wayne scenes while he ably conveys the way Batman questions his motivations during the course of the film. Kravitz is simply the best Catwoman to date and works wonders as she keeps the emotions in her character intact while expressing her character’s concerns over seeing that justice is properly served. Let’s not mention the chemistry between Pattison and Kravitz which is quite strong leaving one to wonder just how far they will push to forge a meaningful relationship together.

Michael Giacchino’s musical score is not quite on the level of Hans Zimmer’s music from The Dark Knight pictures. It falters a bit towards the end as it throws some of the scenes off kilter due in large part to the score’s lack of heightened emotions. It does get the job done though.

The Batman is not at the level of Christopher Nolan’s previous The Dark Knight superhero pictures. However, the new film is also rather extraordinarily different than those films. This is a new take on Batman and in re-creating Gotham and its inhabitants, director Reeves has orchestrated one of the year’s wildest and most intriguing diversions.

Rating: 9/10

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