Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

The Batman: The Teenage Years – How this moody revamp earned our respect.

Though the criminal residents of Gotham fulfilled their destinies of chaos and violence in the dark, in the shadows lived their fear. Director Matt Reeves combined their trepidation with the audiences anticipation to give an explosive introduction to Robert Pattinson’s Batman, that did not disappoint.

We enter The Batman at the start of series two. There is no need for expositional explanations to our main cast, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Robert Pattinson), Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), The Riddler (Paul Dano), and we know their innate characteristic traits. All we need, is to see how they fit into the moody and operatic toned Gotham City, Reeves has created.

Previously on The Batman; Having spent the last two years under the mask in an attempt to clean up Gotham, Batman continues his fruitless crusade to save his unsavable city.

Series two opens on Halloween and focuses on righting the sins of the past. Its re-writer, a madman dubbed The Riddler begins his quest for vengeance by murdering the mayor. At the scene of the crime is a note addressed to Batman, inviting him along to play his unwinnable game.

Paul Dano’s Riddler was an appropriate introductory villain to the (possible) franchise. He was cunning, macabre, chilling and human. I don’t mean that in a meta-alternative sense, more so that he lacked a criminal background.

Altogether different from the overplayed almost comedic depictions of other live-action interpretations, Riddler’s ordinariness created a learning curve, preparing Batman and Gotham to the likes of the seasoned villains we know will come.

Some normalcy I for one was incredibly glad to see, was in Catwoman. Beyond being done with the caricatured feline fetishization, the purring voice and catty one liners, Krazitz’s Kyle was cool. She was mysterious, slick and bold, all the traits that are normally side-lined in favour of the kitty cat trope.

I have indeed taken a Reeves approach (if you will), and held out on talking about the Bat of the hour until the last possible moment.

What struck me was the stoic yet watchful stillness to Batman when he wasn’t in motion. Every eye flick, movement and bootstep felt deliberate, and as an audience you were quite literally hanging on to his every gesture.

As that first gruesome Halloween night drew on and cracked to dawn, a desperation set in to reach out and remove the mask (not recommended) to lay eyes on the man beneath. Man feels like a bit of an overstatement when compared to the broody misunderstood teenager who awaited us.

If you were at a certain screening on Saturday 5th March and heard the unmistakable hum of My Chemical Romance’s I’m Not Okay, wafting through the cinema, then you’re welcome. Bruce Wayne was an emo kid and suddenly I was fifteen again.

This was Bruce in an unexplored moment of being, yes he’s probably in his thirties but it’s very much the teenage years of his vigilante journey. We thankfully skip the origin story to meet a Bruce who has been Batman for two years and has many of the teething issues worked out. He is yet to become worn down by the unrelenting stench of Gotham which will age him beyond his years.

It was this emo stage, the angry, reclusive, detached yet hurting characteristics of Bruce Wayne that The Batman’s Gotham was built from, and gave a broad stroke explanation of the tones director Matt Reeves wanted to portray.

The Batman was all about the drama. The operatic notes, aching slowness, dry whit, restrictive views, moody tones and heavy hints of misdeeds all crashed together in harmony. From the other side I can honestly say it was something quite spectacular.

Personally not one for a movie that well over exceeds the 120 minute mark, I will say, from the Riddler to the “Rat”, the Wayne history, up to the final act – The Batman lagged but once in its eye watering 179 minute run time.

In case you were unsure (bar two CGI heavy scenes, that make me cringe involuntarily throughout the course of the day) I very much enjoyed The Batman. I gave it a 4 star rating on Letterboxed and will vocally encourage people to check out this reboot that is incomparably (though of course one can’t help but to compare) its own.

The circularity of the movie allowed for both a sense of completeness as well as an anticipation for a next chapter.

Reeves has depicted Bruce Wayne on a knifes edge. I for one am very much expecting that the next time we see Master Wayne it will be with a hair cut, tailed suit and devil may care smile, transformed into the Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist we’re akin to.

With his alter-ego (or his true self depending on your point of view)? Well we all know which villain has the power to break Batman, and until he arrives… we’ll just have to wait and see.

by Jen.