Spoiler Free Batman Review

By: Adam Ide, Staff Writer

The Batman, one of the biggest movies of the year came out in theaters on Friday March 4th. People from hardcore comic book fans to casual movie goers rushed to go see the newest take on the dark knight. As of two weekends from the films release it has grossed 463.2 million dollars in the worldwide box-office and does not seem like its profits will be slowing anytime soon with many fans still awaiting to see the film.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman is able to do something that has not been seen before in previous  live-action renditions of Batman. The Batman we see in this film, played by Robert Pattinson, is a broken man. Only being in his second year as the caped crusader, Bruce Wayne has yet to come to terms with his parents death and instead spends almost all of his time warring against the Gotham City underworld. The gritty visuals and sense of mental turmoil bring this Batman into a realistic world in which the viewer sees a man with no outlet for his pain, so he turns towards vengeance.

From the opening scene Reeves sets a very dark and gritty tone, pushing the boundaries of the PG-13 rating while not fully crossing over into rated R territory. This tone is continued throughout the film not only by the characters but the scenery. The Gotham City portrayed in this movie is by far the dirtiest live-action to ever be put on screen. Reeves’ use of the weather only adds to his portrayal of Gotham. There is not one instance in this film when it is dead silent due to the constant rain. The viewer is convinced by the visuals of a clearly broken, disgusting, deeply corrupt city that Batman may really be the only solution to competing the forces of evil in this place.

Furthermore, Paul Dano’s Riddler is one of the most interesting and out right scary Batman villains to be put to screen. Every scene with the Riddler not only has the audience on the edge of their seat but also has the other characters in total confusion and awe. His performance is superb, with some fans even going so far as to compare it to Heath Ledger’s Joker form The Dark Knight. Going off of that performance are other amazing feats of acting from Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle, Colin Farrell’s Penguin, and Jeffery Wright’s James Gordon. Honestly there is not one bad performance in this movie. Obviously some stand out more than others but it is very difficult to pick out a weak spot amongst this star studded cast.

This film is one of the best pieces of Batman lore to be to screen and it certainly does not disappoint. The gritty, noir style detective story told through the lens of one of the greatest superheroes ever in a must see for not only fans of comic book movies but fans of film in general. While it is hard to say with confidence whether or not this it the best Batman movie ever but it is certainly in contention for the top spot.