Review of The Batman (2022) by Trisolaran — 06 Mar 2022

When it comes to Batman, it’s hard to escape the influence and comparisons to the Nolan trilogy which revolutionised how his story is told: focusing on character drama, having more realistic action sequences/plots, and favouring a darker tone. The Batman is certainly no different, and it strives to be one of the grimmest entries in the franchise. In following this approach, there are elements that work great, but there are also aspects that fall a little flat.

Visually, The Batman is fantastic. The dark environment and ominous shots keep the level of tension and dread to an almost suffocating level throughout most of the runtime. Sometimes the lighting gets a bit too dark to make out objects clearly, but on the whole the movie succeeds in drawing the viewer into the miserable hellhole that is Gotham. The score is also excellent, whether it is for adding menace during a crime scene investigation or for adding to the epic-ness of a thrilling action sequence.

Speaking of action sequences, they are somewhat sparse but when they happen they are well worth the wait. The violence is brutal and realistic and some of the stunt-work is mind-boggling. When characters get hurt in this movie, you will feel it.

All the actors pull their weight and give solid performances, and nobody really stands out as a weak-point. Robert P.’s first outing as our titular hero is a reserved, but powerful, portrayal of a determined and broken man who’s trying to redeem his city and himself.

The not-so-good parts:

The storyline doesn't really justify its behemoth runtime, and it drags in a few places. The movie tried to explore a few too many avenues about the dark side of Gotham and Batman’s personal history, and a few of them didn't get tied up that well. I also felt the closing climax act didn’t really add much to the movie and could be omitted entirely.

The villain plot wasn’t that interesting for me as it just seems like a rehashed version of David Fincher’s Seven or Zodiac but thrown into the Batman universe. I do like the approach of doing a Batman movie that is heavier on the detective side, but I just felt the stakes weren’t as high or as personal as some of the ones depicted in Nolan’s trilogy.

All of the characters are very cold and bitter, outside of our psychotic villain. While I understand this is probably what the film is going for to accentuate the dark and grim tone, it also made all of the characters somewhat similar and lifeless. Some of the character relationships are also lacking a bit of chemistry compared to what I experienced from the Nolan portrayal.

While the violence is generally realistic, some scenes involving Batman himself are a bit outrageous. The guy straight up turns into Superman for a few of the fight sequences, as he handles being blown up in the face, getting thrown off a high-speed vehicle, being shot multiple times - all with no long-lasting injuries, or even a scar.

Overall, The Batman is a solid new chapter in the franchise that continues the Nolan formula of depicting Batman and Gotham with a more grounded and grittier approach, but I can’t help but feel that it doesn’t bring many new things to the table while falling a bit short on achieving the same heights that its influences accomplished.