YNOT at the Movies

It's often a pleasant viewing experience when a movie is not what you expected and diverges from its formulaic trajectory. The director Matt Reeves's incredibly dark superhero film "The Batman" (USA 2020 | 175 min.) is one example. The film surprises the viewer by focusing on the human side of the story of its titular character. Even if we remove the superhero's outfit from the film, the story probably can still reasonably hold together. It adds a refreshing new direction to this crowded bunch of superhero movies based on comic characters.

With "Ave Maria" sung in the background, the movie opens on a rainy Halloween night in Gotham City when criminals are roaming the streets in their costumes. Also wearing a mask and body armor is the billionaire Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. the Batman (Robert Pattinson). He is a self-appointed nocturnal vigilante of the city and creates fear among the criminals. His only associates are a seasoned cop James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), perhaps the only trustworthy police in the city, and Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), a father figure to the Batman.

From the point of view of a masked killer, the Riddler (Paul Dano), we see the Gotham's mayoral campaign is underway. The incumbent Don Mitchell Jr (Rupert Penry-Jones) is reviewing his debate with his black female challenger Bella Réal (Jayme Lawson) at home. The Riddler makes the mayor his first victim in the film, and leaves a delicately crafted greeting card addressed to the Batman with a clue.

The Batman's sleuth work leads him to cross paths with a mysterious girl Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) who works at an exclusive nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge, owned by mafia boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) with the gangster Oz, a.k.a. the Penguin (a completely unrecognizable Colin Farrell), as the proprietor. With Selina's help, the Batman uncovers more corrupted politicians who are also frequent patrons of the club.

As more of these corrupt politicians in the club become targets of the Riddler's elaborately choreographed scheme, more dark secrets about these characters begin to emerge. The Batman not only has to confront his own identity and his family's legacy, but he also has to take on the duty to save Gotham City when Riddler unleashes his plan to destroy the city in the name of uncovering the truth of corruption.

Unlike many other superhero movies, the Batman doesn't seem to have much extraordinary ability in this film, other than wrestling down a few thugs in a subway station. He speaks in a low voice that is as heavy as his footsteps. The director Matt Reeves seems more interested in exploring the Batman's mind than showing off his physique, and gives this film an interesting look as a superhero movie and turns it into an arresting crime story. If you were captivated by the terrific "Se7en" (1995) before, you will appreciate this film's storytelling in a similar style, but with a Batman outfit.

The subject matter of the film is not the only thing that is quite dark, most scenes are also either set at night or in rooms where flashlights are the main lighting source. The film's grim atmosphere in Gotham City is almost suffocating, but it's quite appropriate to the gruesome violences in the film.

The movie could have been cut shorter than its three-hour running time, but its human story and its intriguing crime tale make the time go by with ease.

"The Batman" opens on Friday, March 4, 2022.