The Batman (2022)

Streaming Service: HBO Max
Movie Name/Year: The Batman (2022)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Length: 2h 56min
Rating: PG-13
Production/Distribution: 6th & Idaho Productions, DC Comics, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros., HKC Entertainment, Cinemundo, Tanweer Alliances, Roadshow Films, Warner Bros. Pictures Germany, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO Max, Home Box Office
Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig, Bob Kane, Bill Finger
Actors: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Peter McDonald, Con O'Neill, Alex Ferns, Rupert Penry-Jones, Kosha Engler, Archie Barnes, Janine Harouni, Hana Hrzic, Joseph Walker, Luke Roberts, Oscar Novak, Stella Stocker, Sandra Dickinson, Jack Bennett, Andre Nightingale, Richard James-Neale, Lorraine Tai, Charlie Carver, Max Carver, Mark Killeen
 
IMDb Blurb: When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.

 
Cat’s Point of View:

Schubert’s “Ave Maria” has never sounded quite so sinister as it did within The Batman’s soundtrack. This is definitely not like any other live-action Batman movie we’ve seen before. Writer/director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In, War for the Planet of the Apes) went dark with his new iteration of the beloved DC staple.
 
Gotham City has never been a shiny happy place, after all. It’s only fitting that this story offered a fresh, yet decidedly grungy take on Batman’s hometown. (I swear that wasn’t a reference to the lesser-known Nirvana song on the soundtrack. I promise.) Honestly, Reeves could have gone harder on the edge of horror and even bumped the rating to an R level and it still would have killed at the box office. That being said, The Batman hit just the right tone as PG-13.  This was an example of a DC live-action movie done right.

 
Reeves cited the Zodiac killer as one of his inspirations drawn from for the version of The Riddler shown in this production. I’d say that if you put the infamous serial killer, the movie Se7en (1995), and a classic detective noir film in a blender, you’d begin to get an idea of what The Batman brought to its audiences.
 
The Batman absolutely was not one of those feel-good family superhero movies. We got a deep dive into the Caped Crusader’s psyche – his quest for vengeance and the price paid for it. It was glorious. I was happy that this film wasn’t trying to copy the feel of another franchise in a bid to win ticket sales. Reeves had a clear picture of where he wanted to take the story in this first installment of his contracted trilogy, and it was grounded both visually and by the story in the actual comics the character hails from. (If you’re curious which, check out IMDb’s trivia section for this listing.)

 
This story was fabulous for more than the dark ambiance, kick-ass fight choreography, and grounded gumshoe work. The cast was unreal. I had a hard time believing at first, when I first watched the trailers, that Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, After Yang) was portraying The Penguin. The make-up team worked a miracle with the fat suit and prosthetics. I bought every second he was on screen and sincerely hope that his story continues in the next sequel. Zoë Kravitz (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Big Little Lies, Kimi) was a good fit for Catwoman, as well; and her on-screen chemistry with the bat vigilante felt right.
 
I would be remiss if I didn’t address the elephant in the room by commenting on Robert Pattinson’s (Good Time, The Lighthouse, Tenet) portrayal of the lead role. To his haters, I say – deal with it. Pattinson nailed this performance. He captured the edge, angst, physicality, intelligence, and humanity of this flawed character. I covered this a bit with my #1 mention in March 2022’s Top 20 article. People need to stop holding his early work against him, stop rolling their eyes, and instead focus on his current film roles with some objectivity. I’m not a screaming, swooning super-fan – I just believe in giving credit where it’s due. Reeves was onto something great when he envisioned this role for Pattinson.
 
I can’t wait to see what the next 2 installments will look like.
 
The Batman has landed on HBO Max; so if you have a subscription and enjoy either this genre blend or the character of Batman in general, my recommendation is to watch it or add it to your collection yesterday.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 85%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 87%
Metascore – 72%
Metacritic User Score – 7.5/10
IMDB Score – 7.9/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5
 
P.S. - There isn't a full post-credit scene, but there is a teaser. 

Movie Trailer: