First, I have to establish I am not someone who is capable of watching the same movie over and over again, especially in a brief time period. And yet, here I am, having seen The Batman back-to-back and I’ll happily do it again.
First off, for everyone complaining, I have to wholeheartedly argue that their opinions are flawed. Second, for the boys who said they finally got Robert Pattinson on their side; wrong again.
Zoë Kravitz and Robert Pattinson are the duo we all know we needed. The performance and presence of both is incredibly compelling. The film itself is noir; Gotham is precisely what all other Batman movies have only attempted to create. Truly dark, decadent, eerie and criminal, the Gotham of Matt Reeves’s 2022 The Batman is beyond captivating, hauntingly stunning, and disgusting. Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne as Batman left me stunned. For everyone complaining that he’s not a playboy but an emo-boy are missing the entire point. The entire film follows the detective-side of Batman. Here, an established Batman is on the screen and a developing, incredibly vulnerable Bruce Wayne is being developed. I never truly knew the phrase, “eyes are the gateway to the soul” until I left the theater on opening night. Robert Pattinson’s sideways gazes, death-glares and prominent emptiness in his gaze behind a mask, leads the entire film; his eyes and steady stature control the entire film. Zoë Kravitz’s character is equally captivating and as alluring. Unlike previously over-sexualized depictions of Catwoman which lack development or realism to her motivations, here our Catwoman is conveyed in an equally noir and vulnerable character. The Riddler’s character is freaky and realistic, an obsessive motivation exhibited that seems ever-so relevant in today’s world.
The world itself is violent, and arguably metaphorically gruesome. With very few scenes shot in daylight, Bruce Wayne exists solely as Batman throughout the film. In addition to being a detective story, it is a psychological turmoil exhibition of the self on screen and in its entirety, it is everything I have ever wanted from a Batman movie. And while many may argue that nearly three hours is unreasonable and unjust, every scene in this film is vital and no scene lacks in importance.
I would happily watch this film a third time in theaters and I cannot say ever, have I wanted to do that before for any film.
