3/4/2022 – PG-13 – 2h 56m 

Alan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michelle: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One dark night in Gotham City, a young boy becomes orphaned when his parents are murdered in Crime Alley. But you already know that origin story.

The Batman tells the story of Batman’s second year fighting and investigating crime in Gotham City.

Alan: This is a completely new take on live-action Batman and the best one since Batman Begins. It is film noir and could easily serve as a live action prequel to Batman: The Animated Series. Batman is young, inexperienced, and 100% focused and driven on enacting revenge and punishment for his parents’ murders.

Michelle: There is a small amount of Batman origin story dropped into the film for viewers who are not familiar with the Batman story. But, refreshingly for a comic book movie reboot, it’s not an origin story movie. It jumps right into a criminal investigation of the Riddler.

Alan: In addition to returning to Batman’s roots as a hero, it also emphasizes Batman’s role as World’s Greatest Detective. Take away the mask and the gadgets and this could be a crime thriller along the lines of Se7ven or Silence of the Lambs with the Riddler taking the place of Hannibal.

Michelle: Batman is a superhero who is a super smart detective with fantastic gadgets, awesome vehicles and ace fighting skills. Refreshingly, Batman has answers to the Riddler’s cyphers right away. No time is wasted while the characters have to sleuth out the answers. The story moves right along to more interesting points as everyone rides Batman’s mental prowess instead of watching scenes of them trying to solve riddles for hours. 

Alan: The riddles are complex and multilayered too. They give the sense that the audience could figure things out ahead of time, but I wasn’t able to. The Riddler states his larger goal early on. It is such a great hook to keep the audience invested in the rest of the story.

Michelle: The running time is close to three hours which l completely feel is necessary and good for this story.

Alan: Absolutely! The director, Matt Reeves, takes his time telling the story and lets us luxuriate in his gorgeous interpretation of Gotham City. While the Riddler is the focus of the crime, the investigation uncovers corruption across all of the Gotham elite. It is a complex mystery with a lot of moving parts. Peter Craig deserves praise for keeping the story so tight with such a wide scope. 

Michelle: In the middle of the movie, I wondered if this was a Baz Luhrmann film because the art direction, set design, colors, and musical score are so stylized. I could watch with the dialog turned off and just enjoy the music and visuals. 

The costumes, makeup and hair for Batman, Bruce Wayne and Catwoman are stylized and gorgeous. Teenagers will wear Catwoman’s knit cap mask, manicure and makeup this Halloween. The Bruce Wayne suit with a super skinny tie and large lapel button down shirt belongs in an original Batman comic book and also looks good for today

Alan: The themes the movie explores are also classic. There are long running ideas that the existence of superheroes creates supervillains. The movie explores this along with poking at the differences between “vigilante as hero” and “vigilante as villain.”

Michelle: I also appreciate the longer shots during fight scenes and car chase scenes. The action scenes in many movies have so many quick cuts that it’s impossible to see what is happening. Longer times before cutting to another view in the fights and chases along with the close coordination with the score are probably much harder to plan and film, but make The Batman more a piece of art than an adrenaline fix action movie.

Alan: While maintaining that artistic viewpoint, the movie also makes everyone very human and realistic. The Penguin is just a man playing his part in a criminal organization. Selina is just a cat burglar trying to protect her friend. Even the Riddler is just a man with a homemade mask and a blog.

Michelle: The acting was so good. It was understated with subtle nuance that supported the realism.

The music blew me away; there is so much to the soundtrack, I want to watch again and listen to the Ave Maria variations and ways the score varies from other action movie scores while enhancing the action and plot.

Alan: Ave Maria is used as a musical theme with different tempos and compositions. It connects elements you might not otherwise associate as if it is hinting at answers to The Riddler’s grand puzzle. 

Michelle: I give it five stars. There is a great deal to enjoy and discover in The Batman while watching the well-done mystery and detective story with excellent acting.

Alan: Five stars. It is a fresh perspective on Batman. The stylized visuals are stunning. The story is complex yet focused. It is entertaining and has a great emotional payoff at the end.