The Batman

They think I'm hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows.

You know what, I've never really got Batman (on screen at least). Sure, I've seen most of the incarnations of the character and even liked many of the films but I've not loved them in the way I love other superhero movies. I was somewhat surprised then to come out of watching The Batman to realise I properly loved it. 

Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is two-years into his life as Batman, still reeling from the death of his parents when he was a boy and has already formed a relationship with Gotham police officer James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). When a mysterious figure known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) starts murdering influential people in the city Batman investigates. The trail leads to the likes of cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), small-time gangster the Penguin (Colin Farrell) and crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turtorro). The Batman uncovers a web of high-level corruption before then having to thwart the Ridder's plans.

The film takes many familiar elements of Batman mythology and combines them with the style of a David Fincher movie. The Riddler here couldn't be much further from the Jim Carrey version and is based on the Zodiac killer, with the occasional bit of Jigsaw too. For the first time we have a film where the 'world's greatest detective' actually does some detecting with Batman following the clues and gradually understanding the web of corruption. The final act feels a bit Fight Club too- The Batman is like David Fincher made a superhero movie. 

I thought this was the most interesting take on the character of Batman I've seen. It's notable that Pattinson is nearly always in the Batsuit with really only one longer scene where he appears as Bruce Wayne. This Wayne isn't the confident playboy we are used to seeing, he is a recluse who is full of self-doubt. He's also still learning how to be Batman and though he can fight he doesn't entirely know what he is doing. There have been plenty of other good Batman films but for me this is the best take on the character himself without question. 

Pattinson is a great Batman and the supporting cast are all perfect. Jeffrey Wright's Lieutenant Gordon is the closest this version of Batman has to a sidekick and Wright's take on the character is great, bringing a hint of dry wit like is Felix Leiter that is the closest this film comes to moments of levity. Zoe Kravitz gives a star turn as Selina Kyle and in many ways is like a feminine version of this Batman, still working out who she is (and I liked that they didn't go too heavy on the whole cat thing). The other highlight is Colin Farrell, unrecognisable as the Penguin under prosthetics who manages to bring his own take on the character and has an interesting journey to come in future instalments. 

There's some interesting social commentary/political themes in the film also set it above many other superhero films. A large part of the plot centres around a web of corruption and this is well explored, including how the web touches more virtuous characters. Then there's the fact that people like the Riddler do exist (at his core he's basically an anarchist who wants to restart society) and the more disturbing thing is that they kind of have a point, even if they go about things in the wrong way. Whilst the action stuff is very much something you only see in movies, there's a lot here that feels realistic, especially in the murky city that is constructed here. 

Perhaps a tad longer than it needed to be but otherwise this was my favourite take on Batman which made the character interesting whilst having a strong story to put him in. I'm already looking forward to seeing more of this Batman.