Review of The Batman (2022) by Trendytechlife — 04 Mar 2022

My spoiler free review of “The Batman”.

So, as someone who has a bit of a Batman obsession since I was about 11 years old and have read my fair share of comics while collecting a good amount of graphic novels over the years; let’s just say I was very excited for this movie. I was nervous though….

It’s been 10 years since we had a solo Batman film. We never got what we were promised with Ben Affleck’s version which was no fault of his really but that’s another story(looking at you WB) which meant that the Nolan films had been our saving grace and our curse. Was that trilogy really as good as it was going to get?

I’m happy to tell you the answer is a resounding NO!!!!! Writer and Director, Matt Reeves of The Apes Trilogy has carved out one heck of a story that you owe to yourself to see on the largest screen imaginable!

I can see this making a lot of peoples top 5 lists for best comic book (Marvel or DC) films of all time and even though it's March, it should easily be one of the top 10 films of 2022 when the dust settles.

Couldn't believe how grounded and realistic this felt even compared to the Dark Knight Trilogy. This version of Gotham seemed like it was set in the 90's yet had a lot of today's problems which makes this film very relevant and powerful.

The cast was amazing! This Pattinson guy has come a long from Twilight let me tell you. What a great actor! His Bruce Wayne is bitter and troubled. In turn his Batman is hellbent on vengefulness no matter the cost to himself. Batman with a death wish! But great story telling shows the character evolve throughout and by it's end you see him realize his true destiny on inspiring hope in a city in desperation of it. Well done!

Catwoman was amazing and as reported her chemistry with Batman is off the charts hot!!! She's just really cool and has deep story too. Others are great too such as Gordon, Alfred, and Penguin, but boy did Paul Dani as the Riddler steal the show!!! A mix of intellect with disturbed sense of morals and reality made him so frightening. Easy to see how he was based off of the Zodiac killer but I instantly got John Doe vibes from Seven with this guy! Creepy!!!!

In fact this movie should remind you of Seven, Zodiac and probably China Town with a tiny bit of Saw for good measure. The classic Noir element recalls an era I am not as familiar with but I instantly thought of Maltese Falcon especially as Batman narrated the entire film with such gloom.

This is unlike any other Batman film you have seen before yet it feels like a Batman graphic novel bursting with life on the screen. So immersive! The question is whether this is better than the Dark Knight or even if it's the best Batman film ever?

Well, I won't say it's better than the Dark Knight which has become the gold standard for comic book films but I will say it's one of the three best Batman films of all time. It deserves multiple viewings and it deserves to be the first chapter of at least a trilogy if not 5 or 6 film anthology.