With the number of variations of Batman, Reeves undoubtedly directed the gloomiest of them all which can be depicted through this film’s noir aesthetics, intricately detective plot, and touching the themes of vengeance, class, and trauma. To cultivate the eerie ambiance of the movie, even more, he includes songs such as ‘Something In The Way’ by Nirvana and “Ave Marie” by Franz Schubert.
Personally, I believe Reeves did a good job in portraying each character’s reactions to the injustice of Gotham City’s society through the leading characters: Bruce Wayne (Batman) and the Riddler. Both of them share a similar trauma of loss and abandonment. However, their different socioeconomic status separates their motives from one another.
As Bruce Wayne grows into a young man, we can see that he is still healing from the murder of his parents. To cope with this enormous trauma he faced, he disassociates from his true identity at all possible costs. In an attempt to fill this void while taking on his family’s legacy, he protects his city by fighting off criminals through his identity as Batman.
Similar to Bruce Wayne, the Riddler too grew up as an orphan. However, he did not share the same luxuries that Bruce Wayne had since he was a child of Arkham, who witnessed fellow orphans get bitten by rats and freeze to death. While the city felt pity for Bruce because of their family’s status, the children of Arkham were unseen for their struggles. This resulted in the Riddler having built-up anger toward the elites, especially Bruce Wayne.
In order to gain the recognition he wants, he tries to outsmart Batman through riddles and creating violence in a city that didn’t love him. While his past is not a justification for his crimes, it does give the audience an insight into why he acts the way he is and the realities of society.
Each of these leading characters showcases a different coping method for processing and healing pain. Matt Reeve’s angle of “The Batman” is definitely worth watching.
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