The Batman.
Matt Reeves’s newest rendition of one of Hollywood’s (arguably) most worn-out superheroes makes the point of adding the definitive article of “the” to its name. The point is clear, Robert Pattinson is not just playing another one of Hollywood’s fifteen-plus Batmans, but is rather a standout from the others as The Batman. From the George Clooney era to Christian Bale or Ben Affleck’s times as Batman, the character of Bruce Wayne has been used again and again. Was Reeves able to take an angle unique enough for critics and digestible enough for the masses to make The Batman a success?
In short, partly. The film racked up a stunning $128.5 million during its opening weekend in domestic box offices. This makes the movie only the second film to break over $100 million in box office sales during its opening weekend since the start of what critics are referring to as the “pandemic era” of Hollywood, any movie released after March of 2020. The first to break this pattern of stagnant ticket sales since the pandemic was Spider-Man: No Way Home with an almost record-breaking $260 million in its opening weekend this past December.
The movie’s 85-percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.4 stars on IMDb further point to The Batman’s overall popularity with audiences. The critics’ reviews are a bit more conflicting. Alex Stedman from IGN praised Reeves for “achieving a grimly beautiful masterpiece.” Chief Film Critic for Variety, Peter Debruge, called the film a “tough new vision to DC’s most easily reimagined character,” and pointed to its impressive crime noir influences.
Among the outpouring for the praise of The Batman’s dark tones and engrossing storyline are criticisms that it is simply “fine” as Richard Brody from The New Yorker states. Another reporter of The New Yorker, Anthony Lane, called the film “a waste of Robert Pattinson.” In a marking of hope for the future of this new Batman franchise, A.O. Scott of The New York Times finishes off his review by stating, “I can’t say I had a good time, but I did end up somewhere I didn’t expect to be: looking forward to the next chapter.”
Without offering up any spoilers, the movie’s ending suggests an undeniable need for a sequel to Reeves’s The Batman. Despite critics calling for more: more emotions from Pattinson, more comedic moments of relief in the post-Christopher-Nolan Batman world and more exploration of cinematic freedom or range, the movie did garner huge amounts of the press if not total popularity. The A-list cast was no doubt a contributing factor to the immense box office success and emphasis in the press. Pattinson, ironically known for his role as a vampire in the popular 2000s series Twilight, has taken his acting career one step further away from the teen enterprise as the brooding protagonist of the film. We get glimpses into the mind of Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne through his slow, murmured voiceovers and in instances where is cold exterior cracks, if only slightly. Paul Dano stars as the film’s primary antagonist to this Batman, The Riddler. Zoë Kravitz stars Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, who deals with her moral trials and family tribulations in the film.
Despite the movie’s three-hour length and criticisms, it is a worthy watch for any superhero or crime/detective genre fan. If you are not a fan of going to the theaters, recent rumors are floating around that the movie will hit HBO Max sometime in mid to late April.
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