When Joker came out, there was promise that this was going be a darker take on the character. Christopher Nolan’s trilogy also had this promise attached. But now, we have an even darker take. The thing is, Batman has always been dark, that is the character’s nature. With the film plunged into complete darkness, night, for 90% of the film, there is no way to escape this darkness. No matter what film about Batman is released, it will always be dark.
For those are who are familiar with DC Comics nocturnal vigilante, Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, the character needs no introduction. For those who don’t, he is a millionaire, sometimes playing the rich playboy persona as a cover for his crime fighting antics at night. Orphaned at a young age when his parents were murdered in front of him, he still relives that trauma. He lives with his confidant, his father figure and butler, Alfred Pennyworth and sometimes romances various women with varying ridiculous names. He has many arch nemesis, but The Joker is his ultimate. You could go as far to say that their relationship is one of the most famous in superhero-villain history.
Unlike Batman Begins, Matt Reeves’ film does not take us to the beginnings, thankfully, as I think we’ve seen enough origin stories to last us a few decades. Instead, we see Bruce Wayne already in full swing of his Batman alter ego. He already has an established and rather trusting relationship with Detective Jim Gordon as the famed signal in the sky is up and running, warning criminals in the eternal crime ridden city of Gotham that the Batman is watching. However, unlike any other version of Batman we’ve seen, Bruce Wayne isn’t the sometime playboy or an active member of Wayne Enterprises, here he is a recluse. He barely steps into daylight and only ever speaks to Alfred and housekeeper, Dory, unless he’s wearing his mask, his social circle opens up. This is one way Reeves’ vision is true to the film’s darker nature.
Usually, the golden rule is not to overload your superhero film with too many villains. But in the case of the famed rogue’s gallery and the intertwining characters that inhabit Gotham, there is no way around this multiple villain issue. With the TV series proving that the more villains you have, the better, having a few of them show up is good idea. Also, as proved by Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, you don’t have to play The Joker card immediately, you can wait. Having The Penguin, Catwoman and The Riddler all show up in the film was actually a brilliant idea. Firstly, The Penguin is in his gangster persona which makes him a far more intriguing character, also, he’s not centre stage which means he can appear later. Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle, isn’t even called by her villain’s name, mainly because she never she was a true villain. She is part accomplice and has her own storyline that doesn’t overcrowd the main one. Choosing The Riddler as the starting point villain, again, was a superb idea. With his violence and bloody murders and his mind games and his threat to reveal secrets that would destroy everything is perfect for the dark tone of this version. All three famous villains are perfectly cast, some unrecognisable, all play important parts and none over shadow each other. Everything is in line. The mafia man himself Carmine Falcone, who is treated like the real mayor of the city, doesn’t really wear a mask but a metaphorical one and he comes across as more menacing than any of the other, well, maybe not The Riddler as he is terrifying on social media. John Turturro plays Falcone with such glee and menace, he is a definite high point in the film and again, excellent casting.
Having the story play out like a crime thriller is exciting and sickening at the same time. For those who have missed the gritty blood-soaked thrillers that use be released in cinemas, this will satisfy your desire. Solving puzzles, riddles and codes, The Batman takes us back the sleuthing days of Batman and not just about stopping a massive attack. These clues and deadly crimes are intricate and well thought out, its entertaining and are far more interesting than watching Bruce brood over a woman or his dead parents. Robert Pattinson is a decent Batman or should I say, Vengeance. He is quiet and calculating and has a strange impact on the screen. I know there some are other who still think of him as that guy from Twilight, despite him playing many other interesting characters over the years. He is not a full-fledged bat yet which means, there is always room for growth which is how he plays it, making sure that we know, he’s not done yet.
The only downsides to this whole film is the running time, it doesn’t need to be 3 hours long. With the many slow motion takes, this could have been cut down. But other that, the cliches of it constantly raining in this city and that that there is only a couple of scenes in daylight, the rest of the film is in darkness, always at night. This just plays into the fact the film is really hammering home that this is a darker version than previously seen.
With the promise of a sequel and the mention of possible villains such as Hush, Mr Freeze and the Court of Owls appearing gives hope that this won’t be like the current superhero films we have out now. This is a strange breath of fresh air amongst the rest, much like how Joker was or at least meant to be.