Okay, let me start right off and say that if you know me, then you know I am a born-again Zack Snyder diehard fan and I enjoyed the majority of the films in the DC Extended Cinematic Universe. I was definitely looking forward to Ben Affleck's Batman solo trilogy of films, the first of which would have had Batman squaring off against Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello, and probably also would have explained some of the details that were left unexplained in BvS and The Snyder Cut, mainly about what happened to Robin and why Wayne Manor is a dilapidated burned out shell of a house.
When I heard that Affleck was walking away from making the movie and that Matt Reeves was directing, I was a little apprehensive, even though Reeves has shown he is an exceptional movie director having done two of the Planet of the Apes prequel movies with Andy Serkis. Then I heard that Reeves had his own plans for The Batman movie and he threw out Affleck's amazing script (which I hope someday could get made into a Graphic Novel by DC Black in the future) to write his own script, and I was a little more apprehensive. Then I heard that Reeves was making his own separate universe aside from the DCEU/DCU, and I gave little thought to the movie. After hearing some good things about it, I checked it out on HBO Max and, to be honest, it took a little time for me to warm up to it, about one or two viewings, at least.
But, you know what, this movie is definitely a great Batman movie.
The movie itself draws heavily on the detective aspect of Batman, and shows him as a street-level vigilante who has been active for about two years. His character is full of rage and he makes an occasional mistake or two, but he learns from his mistakes throughout the film and grows from it. Robert Pattinson does a fine job as both Bruce and Batman, and I find the reclusive persona of Bruce is an interesting persona to portray for this character. It makes sense, too, since Bruce has just started out as Batman and is more focused on that part of his life than balancing his dual identities. However, when the action and violence comes, Pattinson plays that part of Batman to the hilt. Much like Bale and Affleck, he depicts Batman as an unstoppable force that no criminal should mess with.
Zoe Kravitz is also amazing as Selina Kyle, and draws heavily off her normal origin story from the majority of the comics. She is sensual and beautiful, but also is able to deliver some kick-@$$ scenes of butt-kicking. Zoe and Robert have great chemistry together, and I hope she returns for Part Two, if it gets made.
Jeffrey Wright's depiction of James Gordon is basically how he was depicted in The Dark Knight trilogy, but he still manages to do it well. He plays a good-hearted tough-guy cop, though we don't see anything of his family life, and I hope we get to see what that is like in the sequels.
Andy Serkis also does a great job as Alfred Pennyworth. There are some scenes that show how great of a father figure his character is to Bruce, especially one mid-way through the film that had me tearing up as a result of the interaction between him and Bruce. I also like how they reveal that Alfred was originally a member of the Circus (Not Ringling Brothers. John Le Carre fans know what I'm talking about), giving him a similar backstory to his character from the shows Gotham and Pennyworth.
Paul Dano is savage also as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, for the most part. He shows unbridled rage and anger for the people he is hurting, and the way he is depicted invokes imagery of not just the Zodiac Killer from our world, but also John Kramer from the Saw franchise (albeit not as twisted). Ironically, David Fincher was one of the choices to direct Batman Begins, and instead he did a movie about the Zodiac murders investigation.
The other villains shown in this movie are pretty well-cast also. Colin Farrell is literally unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepott III and John Tuturro plays the role of Carmine Falcone to the hilt. I just wish that they had more time in the movie, especially Tuturro given how his character ends up. However, Farrell is getting a spin-off miniseries and will no doubt return for Part Two, also.
Aside from the fantastic casting, let's take a moment to talk about Michael Giacchino's score. Until recently, I've really only heard his works for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and mostly dismissed them as one-hit-wonders or forgettable pieces, most notably his work for the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies. However, his work on this film is utterly mind-blowing. Much like in the Dark Knight Trilogy, he uses two themes for the titular character, one for Batman, one for Bruce, and both are awesome. The rest of the score, including the inclusion of Franz Schubert's 'Ave Maria' as the Riddler's theme, is great too.
This is definitely one of the best Batman films ever made. Am I bummed it wasn't the Batfleck movie? Yes. But did I enjoy this movie and am eagerly awaiting the sequels? Yes to that, too.
Stay Scared!
When I heard that Affleck was walking away from making the movie and that Matt Reeves was directing, I was a little apprehensive, even though Reeves has shown he is an exceptional movie director having done two of the Planet of the Apes prequel movies with Andy Serkis. Then I heard that Reeves had his own plans for The Batman movie and he threw out Affleck's amazing script (which I hope someday could get made into a Graphic Novel by DC Black in the future) to write his own script, and I was a little more apprehensive. Then I heard that Reeves was making his own separate universe aside from the DCEU/DCU, and I gave little thought to the movie. After hearing some good things about it, I checked it out on HBO Max and, to be honest, it took a little time for me to warm up to it, about one or two viewings, at least.
But, you know what, this movie is definitely a great Batman movie.
The movie itself draws heavily on the detective aspect of Batman, and shows him as a street-level vigilante who has been active for about two years. His character is full of rage and he makes an occasional mistake or two, but he learns from his mistakes throughout the film and grows from it. Robert Pattinson does a fine job as both Bruce and Batman, and I find the reclusive persona of Bruce is an interesting persona to portray for this character. It makes sense, too, since Bruce has just started out as Batman and is more focused on that part of his life than balancing his dual identities. However, when the action and violence comes, Pattinson plays that part of Batman to the hilt. Much like Bale and Affleck, he depicts Batman as an unstoppable force that no criminal should mess with.
Zoe Kravitz is also amazing as Selina Kyle, and draws heavily off her normal origin story from the majority of the comics. She is sensual and beautiful, but also is able to deliver some kick-@$$ scenes of butt-kicking. Zoe and Robert have great chemistry together, and I hope she returns for Part Two, if it gets made.
Jeffrey Wright's depiction of James Gordon is basically how he was depicted in The Dark Knight trilogy, but he still manages to do it well. He plays a good-hearted tough-guy cop, though we don't see anything of his family life, and I hope we get to see what that is like in the sequels.
Andy Serkis also does a great job as Alfred Pennyworth. There are some scenes that show how great of a father figure his character is to Bruce, especially one mid-way through the film that had me tearing up as a result of the interaction between him and Bruce. I also like how they reveal that Alfred was originally a member of the Circus (Not Ringling Brothers. John Le Carre fans know what I'm talking about), giving him a similar backstory to his character from the shows Gotham and Pennyworth.
Paul Dano is savage also as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, for the most part. He shows unbridled rage and anger for the people he is hurting, and the way he is depicted invokes imagery of not just the Zodiac Killer from our world, but also John Kramer from the Saw franchise (albeit not as twisted). Ironically, David Fincher was one of the choices to direct Batman Begins, and instead he did a movie about the Zodiac murders investigation.
The other villains shown in this movie are pretty well-cast also. Colin Farrell is literally unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepott III and John Tuturro plays the role of Carmine Falcone to the hilt. I just wish that they had more time in the movie, especially Tuturro given how his character ends up. However, Farrell is getting a spin-off miniseries and will no doubt return for Part Two, also.
Aside from the fantastic casting, let's take a moment to talk about Michael Giacchino's score. Until recently, I've really only heard his works for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and mostly dismissed them as one-hit-wonders or forgettable pieces, most notably his work for the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies. However, his work on this film is utterly mind-blowing. Much like in the Dark Knight Trilogy, he uses two themes for the titular character, one for Batman, one for Bruce, and both are awesome. The rest of the score, including the inclusion of Franz Schubert's 'Ave Maria' as the Riddler's theme, is great too.
This is definitely one of the best Batman films ever made. Am I bummed it wasn't the Batfleck movie? Yes. But did I enjoy this movie and am eagerly awaiting the sequels? Yes to that, too.
Stay Scared!