When it comes about the Batman, I can never be objective. Batman is my favourite superhero by far, even because a superhero he is not. The Caped Crusader is a vigilante, aspect which is remarked multiple times in Matt Reeve's movie. In this adaptation, the Batman is a watchful guardian who is trying to fend off the wave of crime swiping Gotham. In a striking intro, Bruce Wayne's voice explains that he cannot be everywhere. However, neither criminals know where he is... This uncertainty makes thugs paranoid. They see the mysterious Batman even where he is not, in every dark corner, in every shade... He is the shade! Fear is what allows the Batman to be nowhere and everywhere, to keep Gotham's petty crime in check. Things get complicated when the Batman is challenged by something way more complex than petty crime. A serial killer thirsty of justice, begins to target the political elite of Gotham... The Riddler portrayed as a serial killer (explicitly inspired by the Zodiac killer), gave the writers the chance to explore the detective side of Batman. It's always been said that Batman is the best detective in the world, but we have rarely seen this aspect of his in the film adaptations. There were some glances at Bruce Wayne's analytical skills during the Dark Knight trilogy, but the detective side was never instrumental to the plot development. In The Batman, crime investigation becomes central, even though, I have to say, I expected more. What I was disappointed with was how easy the Batman solves the riddles posed by the villain. This is a missed chance to develop a more thrilling, deeper, scarier plot. The story even tried to go political, but always in a shy way. Maybe it was better to focus more on the crime investigation side and leave political machinations in the warehouse. In any case, you will be delighted by the solid performances delivered by each actor, with particular praise to Jeffrey Wright (best commissioner Gordon ever!), Colin Farrell (as time goes, the more this man shows all of his versatility!) and Zoe Kravitz (I'm delighted to see Lenny made a such talented daughter!). Robert Pattinson delivers the emo-bat we all expected, if not more. I especially admired what the “Battinson” can deliver through his eyes. It's powerfully cutting. All of these performances are framed into beautiful visuals and accompanied by the grandiose music of Michael Gioacchino. His tunes will get inscribed in your brain for the weeks to come! The direction is well refined, despite all the constraints occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The photography is sublime, but in some moments I got annoyed by the abuse of blurry lenses. Yes, they deliver the state of confusion in some key scenes, but in other moments, they were not necessary.
My advise is not to compare this movie to the Dark Knight trilogy, nor to Tim Barton's crafts. The Batman marks a new direction, which is something in between the previous two franchises: a gloomy, gleamy cine-comic book with a mystery crime soul and a touch of rough realism. Surely this is not the comic book movie of the century, but it's a well made craft, which makes me curious to see the next sequels signed by Matt Reeves. Rate: 7/10
"What does a liar do when he's dead? He lies still!"
