The Batman

*"Selina Kyle: He has to pay! *Batman: You don't have to pay with him. You paid enough." Batman is a character that has meant a lot to me. Since the age of probably 7, I've been infatuated with the idea of a vigilante with wings that patrols the streets, but it wasn't until I was a teenager that I truly saw the power that Batman held. I was surrounded by a world full of corruption, whether it was federal or local, and also people who used or tried various harmful things to try and drown out the noise in their head. I existed in a world full of anger and filth, and one of the only things that helped me was superheroes. One of the biggest things that stands out is that Matt Reeves is not afraid for this film to be a comic book. While it's not as absurd as the stories from the 50s or even the modern Batman and Superman run by Waid, it still feels like you're reading a volume of a run. However, you can still sense that this is made by someone who respects the material. Reeves builds off of the misunderstandings that both Nolan and Snyder had about the character of Batman and expands the parts of what makes this character so interesting. I can see how fitting Batman into a medium that is so "grounded" or "realistic" can be difficult, but Reeves gives us the best of both worlds. You get the brutal thrills from something like Zodiac or the misguided emotions from the works of someone like Gus Van Sant. At the same time, though your getting something very silly in retrospect. Reeves doesn't treat the material too seriously, but he gets the sincerity of it. He understands that when you ground a hero, you still have to be "fantastical." Theres multiple times in the film where it is quite funny, even hilarious. Whether it's the tone of voice, a hand gesture, or just a simple eye movement, it shows that Reeves knows how to control your emotions. This is shown through the score by the great Michael Giacchino whos work in the film feels as emotional and horrific as it does vulnerable. Through the music your able to see how Batman goes beyond a figure and becomes an idea. He's threatening, angry, and shadowy, but by the end of the film the score becomes something of hope. Even the choice of Nirvana as a needle-drop tells us exactly what the current state of Gotham is. Gotham is grimy and dingy, but at the same time the architecture is just beautiful. It's one of the first times that we're shown and not just told that Gotham kind of sucks. The neon lights and the lampposts shine a light on the looting and injustice of the city, and seeing it that first time when I was 14 blew me away. The combination of gothic imagery with colorful surroundings truly is a treat for the eyes, thanks to Greig Fraser and his really interesting use of focus with the lens. Besides everything on a technical and story level, The Batman is still amazing regardless. Robert Pattinson is probably now my definitive Batman, and I can't wait to see how Bruce fleshes out into the "playboy" persona that Bruce adapts. Zoe Kravitz is remarkable as Selina, and the more I watch the film, the more I pay attention to her eyes and her tone of voice. It's filled with rage, hurt, and sadness. She's a young woman holding onto this teenage anger, which meshes really well with the tension with Batman, whether it's sexual or not. Jeffrey Wright as Gordon and Colin Farrell as Oz work so well, and their chemistry during the second half is really interesting to see. You have a cop who's fed the fuck up and a guy who thinks he's hot shit, and they both excel at those roles so much. Paul Dano is a spectacular Riddler even though he strays away from what he is in the comics. He serves much more as a Zodiac Killer type, but for the Riddler I think that works really well. It makes me want to see how Reeves would handle an interpretation of The Mad Hatter, a rogue that I find pretty underrated and underused. Then you have John Turturro as Falcone, who is both silent but also just exceedingly threatening. For the most part, we're kept in the dark about how horrific he is until we hear audio files and other pieces of media that portray just how much of a monster he is. After over 4 years, this has climbed up into my favorite films list again. The film is melodic and emotional but also leaves you in the fog as you go on this mission with Batman to make Gotham better, even if it's just through the simple act of holding someone's hand in silence. Matt Reeves truly understands what makes Batman connect with people, and it's through the lens of a guy whose trauma has seemingly held him back that we start to understand that the identity of The Batman is so much more than who is beneath the cape.