It’s not uncommon that after watching a superhero movie that I will feel strongly about it, be it positive or negative. Often though, after talking about it with friends who have seen it, re- watching it or just thinking about it for a while my opinion will change and become less severe. That has not been the case with Matt Reeve’s The Batman. After thinking and discussing how I feel about this movie for about the 48 hours between seeing it and writing this review, my opinion has not waivered one bit.

The Batman is one of the least conventional and most artistically done superhero movies I have ever seen, and I adore it because of that. When thinking about Batman, the first thing that will pop into most people’s minds is that he’s a brooding billionaire in a bat costume that curb stomps low level criminals in Gotham. While this isn’t necessarily incorrect, it is a gross underestimation of who the deeply flawed and damaged character of Bruce Wayne truly is, and something that has been portrayed poorly in live-action film... until Robert Pattinson donned the cowl.

Meeting Bruce Wayne a couple years into his crime fighting career was refreshing. Characters as popular (and frankly over done) as Batman have no need for the same origin story to be shown over and over again with each new depiction. Pattinson’s Batman was still young though. He’s not quite to the point in his life where he starts mentoring Robins but has made a name for himself within Gotham.

Pattinson does a fantastic job at not only playing Batman but also Bruce Wayne. Yes, I know Bruce Wayne is Batman, but in a way, they are two different characters. Reeves does an excellent job at showing how Pattinson’s incarnation of Batman has begun to see Batman as his identity and Bruce Wayne just as what he had to be to become the Batman. This is shown to a point where the paparazzi go crazy when they see Bruce Wayne at a public event because as far as everyone is concerned, he doesn’t leave Wayne Tower whatsoever. Bruce sees no need for a life in the public eye and instead chooses to expend all his time and effort into trying to better Gotham as a masked vigilante.

The Dark Knight Trilogy attempts this dynamic, but it is just not done quite as well by Christian Bale whose Bruce Wayne is more of a playboy philanthropist than a depressed urchin. Bale’s iteration uses his stature as Bruce Wayne to do very light detective work at parties/big events whereas Pattinson’s Wayne only appeared as Bruce in public twice to do detective work on the down low with people he had personal connections to. This was done in a way where Bruce seemed like he was dressing up and going undercover when being Bruce Wayne then his time in his Batsuit was his normal attire.

How Batman is seen by the people of Gotham is a truly unique aspect of this film. Low level criminals genuinely fear this Batman. At the beginning of the film Bruce is narrating over a couple shots of thugs vandalizing a bank then mugging a man on the subway. These criminals are shown looking at the Bat Signal in the sky then looking around them to see if Batman is around but hesitate at the sight of shadows because they are genuinely terrified, he might be waiting in every shadow. 

This is a perception of Batman I have not seen really emphasized in movies but greatly enjoyed here. I’ve always thought that henchmen and thugs were some of the bravest people in comic books/movies because they know good and well what Batman will do yet have the audacity to trash talk and challenge him. Not this Batman. He has instilled the fear of Vengeance into most, if not every, criminal in Gotham, but Gotham is still plagued with crime.

My favorite part about Pattinson’s portrayal of the Dark Knight wasn’t how great of a fighter he was or how he was the perfect blend of damaged orphan and kick-butt detective, it was when he got injured on multiple occasions. I hate when action movies featuring a normal human character depict them never getting shot in shootouts or punched in fistfights. 

Not only did Batman get hit in these fights but he also left them injured and tired. He’s no Superman, therefore he shouldn’t fight like he can’t be injured. While his armor protects him to a certain extent, a shotgun blast still incapacitated him until he took an accelerant to give him an adrenaline boost. This just made him feel like he can exist in the real world, making the stakes seem higher than any other Batman movie I have seen.

Not only was Batman well-portrayed, but he also looked awesome. His Batsuit was geniusly designed to give him a tactical, menacing and armored appearance. Bruce wearing tactical eye makeup under his cowl made for a good touch when he was out of costume as well. The suit felt like plated armor with a detachable bat symbol that doubled as a ka-bar. It also featured a modern approach to Batman’s classic utility belt and added gauntlets with detachable elements. 

His classic grappling gun was also included as an element that pops out of his suit then can be returned to a concealed compartment. He just looked so realistically menacing that I believe he is entirely capable of fighting crime in his suit without appearing cartoony.

This new depiction of the Riddler gave the film a vibe closer to a psychological thriller or serial killer drama than a superhero action movie. Riddler gave cyphered riddles leading to his crimes in classic fashion but also tortured and murdered his victims, giving a more Zodiac Killer vibe than previous iterations of the character. Instead of being a quirky, eccentric and puzzle-obsessed character with a green suit brandished with purple question marks, Paul Dano’s interpretation is a crazed, passionate and vengeful genius who wants to make a difference in Gotham by slaughtering everyone he deems is polluting it. He causes Bruce to question his own motivations for fighting crime by referring to the both of them as “vengeance.”

The Batman did everything correctly that previous Batman iterations did not. Robert Pattinson gave the character depth while still portraying the mysterious side of him. He was a skilled fighter but an even more skilled detective. His dynamic with Catwoman made for an interesting b story that intersected with the main plot in dynamic ways. While clocking in at nearly 3 hours long, I was genuinely never bored. The stories of multiple characters were told beautifully and in ways that could coherently lead to sequels.

I give The Batman 5 out of 5 stars, and think it is the best Batman (and best DC) movie to ever be released.