The Batman
This was a good movie that could have been a great one had it lasted 2 hours instead of 3.
I’ve loved all the Batman films, even the forgettable one starring Ben Affleck (Batman v. Superman (2016)). Batman is a dark, haunted human being trying to exist in a world where his parents were murdered when he was a young child.
My nephew John, who lives in Chicago where he reviews films, loved this movie for multiple reasons, and he is a smarter movie critic than his aging Uncle. However, I found the confusing nature of the plot leaving many viewers struggling in the same fashion as the recent Matrix Resurrections film.
To begin with, this was one of the darkest films, from an environmental standpoint, ever made. You feel that you are in the middle of a rainstorm in nearly every scene. It was like the sun disappeared in Gotham.
Yet, the story was interesting. It was helped by some great performances beginning with Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, aka Cat Woman. Her stirring relationship with Batman left both on an emotional roller-coaster.
Paul Dano was great as the Riddler, a psychotic genius intent on killing all of Gotham’s law enforcement leaders. Given that they were all wretched crooks, he left you feeling like Senator Lindsey Graham after he called for the execution of Putin.
And while Colin Farrell is completely unrecognizable as the Penguin, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis are sensational as Gotham’s only honest cop and Batman’s butler and caregiver respectively.
But what elevates this film at every turn is the performance of Robert Pattison as Batman. He has previously displayed his talent in the Twilight films and The Lighthouse (2019), and he succeeds in making sense out of a senseless life.
The problem with the movie is that it’s 3-hour length caused it to lose momentum. Nearly every character in Gotham was a despicable human being, and you felt a bit anxiety ridden as you waited for the Riddler to kill them off.
And do you think Batman and Cat Woman walked off together? Like it or not, see the movie and find out.
