Over the years, the character of Batman has been recast, rebooted, and remade to death. What is needed is a fresh start. A true Batman film requires a kind of comic book awesomeness, while also being rich in atmosphere and style, staying true to the character.
Matt Reeves' The Batman delivers, through and through, as a true Batman film. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne with a kind of subtlety and calmness. This is a character that does not feel emotions, and treats being Batman as a sort of escape from his actual identity. Here, Batman emerges from dark, dark shadows. Not the kind of dark where it's hard to see what is going on, but the kind of dark that is ominous and moody. When explosions burst through the screen, we are treated with some of the best lightning in modern blockbusters.
But yes, I found it overlong with its three hours runtime. I was also not a fan of the villain, the Riddler (Paul Dano), as he is no more than a stereotypical psychotic villain. What I do really love is that Reeves took a noir mystery thriller approach. Se7en is one of my favorite films and here I get to see the Batman version of that.
I have long grown numb to the tedious superhero blockbuster formula. The Batman restores a little of my hope in comic book films. It is highly rewarding for viewers who are willing to accept new elements in this genre.
Matt Reeves' The Batman delivers, through and through, as a true Batman film. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne with a kind of subtlety and calmness. This is a character that does not feel emotions, and treats being Batman as a sort of escape from his actual identity. Here, Batman emerges from dark, dark shadows. Not the kind of dark where it's hard to see what is going on, but the kind of dark that is ominous and moody. When explosions burst through the screen, we are treated with some of the best lightning in modern blockbusters.
But yes, I found it overlong with its three hours runtime. I was also not a fan of the villain, the Riddler (Paul Dano), as he is no more than a stereotypical psychotic villain. What I do really love is that Reeves took a noir mystery thriller approach. Se7en is one of my favorite films and here I get to see the Batman version of that.
I have long grown numb to the tedious superhero blockbuster formula. The Batman restores a little of my hope in comic book films. It is highly rewarding for viewers who are willing to accept new elements in this genre.