By Jamil Weeks

Batman is arguably the most iconic comic book character ever created. Since the legendary hero was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman has managed to successfully penetrate pop culture through various forms of media, whether it is comic books, video games, television, internet, or social media. Since the late 80s, the legend has grown exponentially more popular through Hollywood. The summer of ‘89 was owned by Batman as Tim Burton’s Batman was released in theaters. The success of that film would lead to Warner Brothers green lighting future Batman movies. In the aftermath of the Burton films, Batman has undergone a number of cinematic facelifts as different directors have taken over the reins in order for their vision of the caped crusader to be realized on the big screen. Moviegoers have seen everything from the ridiculous and silly Joel Schumacher Batman films that nearly ended Batman's cinema run, to the redefining Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. As comic book movie fans have been treated to different interpretations of Batman, numerous debates have surfaced over which film captured the Gotham vigilante the best. While many Batman fans love the dark, stylistically quirky world of Burton's '89 Batman film or the grounded origin story of Nolan's Batman Begins, it is Nolan's crime epic, the Dark Knight, that has been universally accepted as the crown jewel of Batman on the silver screen. However, in 2022 another director partnered with Warner Brothers to make a film that may turn out to be the best adaptation of the brooding supehero yet.

The Batman was supposed to be a Ben Affleck-helmed project. Attached to the ill-fated DCEU, also known as the Synderverse, the film was supposed to star Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with Affleck also directing and producing the film. However, due to script issues as well as underwhelming box office numbers for the first entries into the DCEU, Warner Brothers reached out to Matt Reeves, best known for Cloverfield and The Planet of the Apes reboot films, to direct the film. Once Reeves was attached to the project, Warner Brothers began to redevelop the film after negotiations with Reeves. Instead of taking a more faithful comic book direction, Reeves wanted a more sobering approach to the story. Now The Batman was no longer connected to the DCEU and was instead set in its own universe. Affleck would be replaced by Robert Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne. By removing the fantastical elements from the story, Reeves chose to take the Nolan approach with a more realistic take on Batman. The Batman evolved into a character study of Batman as he investigates a string of mysterious high-profile murders in Gotham city. While this may have disappointed Snyderverse fans, the results were well worth the makeover.

The comparisons to the Nolan films are inevitable. Reeves attempts to be an innovator in a genre that has increasingly become stale. However, despite taking the same grounded approach as Nolan, there are some notable differences that elevate The Batman above The Dark Knight. One of my main gripes with The Dark Knight was the storytelling. Nolan films move at a brisk pace. If films were a meal, Nolan serves you just the meat and potatoes. Each scene moves so fast giving you just the amount of information you need to proceed to the next scene. Reeves on the other hand gives you the meat, potatoes, vegetables, dessert, and refreshing beverage. Reeves takes his time in the storytelling giving scenes more time to breathe, thus providing a more immersive movie experience in comparison to Nolan.

Reeves further plunges the audience into the desolate streets of Gotham masterfully in The Batman. In The Batman, Gotham City is almost presented as its own character, where it is always rainy, gritty, gloomy, and decaying, symbolic of the darkness that shrouds the character of Batman. Trash lines the streets. Graffiti tags building walls. City structures are dilapidated. Yet the city is enveloped in an orange-ish color grading implicating hope is on the horizon. Then there's Nolan's Gotham, which is simply presented as Chicago with the city shot in a slight blue tint to convey a somber tone. One area where Reeves excels over Nolan is creating moody atmosphere. Combined with Michael Giacchino’s haunting but beautiful original score and Greig Fraser’s lush anamorphic style of cinematography, The Batman is a film that has the ability to appeal to comic book fans and cinephiles.

One of Batman’s most well-known monikers is “world’s greatest detective”. In The Batman, Reeves finally treats fans to a story where Batman puts those sleuth skills to use. The Batman is unique from other Batman films because it is more of a detective story than a superhero film. Reeves draws inspiration from films like Seven and Zodiac, giving his film a darker, horror-inspired edge. Adding scenes of narration from Wayne as a verbal voiceover of what he writes in his daily journal is an imaginative touch by Reeves, drawing influences from old-fashion noir gumshoe movies. The film is shot like a standard “whodunit” murder mystery. As Batman pieces the puzzle together with his superior investigative abilities, he unravels the city’s bureaucratic corruption that has infested Gotham like it was bacterial growth. The clues uncovered lead him to the encounters with classic villains from Batman’s Rogues Gallery before identifying the true killer. In this capacity, Reeves manages to make an unconventional comic book tale in the veins of films like The Dark Knight or Logan.

What separates The Batman from every other Batman film is the amount of screen time devoted to Bruce Wayne donning the cowl. Usually in a Batman movie, about 75% of Bruce Wayne scenes involve developing the character of the man underneath the cape and cowl, whether it is establishing him as the billionaire playboy in public or the broken but virtuous man behind closed doors. In The Batman, Bruce Wayne takes a backseat to Batman. Wayne displays zero interest in keeping up appearances as the billionaire businessman, choosing instead to pursue his unhealthy obsession in prowling the Gotham streets at night to dispense punishment among the criminal element. As Bruce Wayne, Pattinson depicts Wayne as socially awkward and fervently scarred. However, once he suits up, he transforms in to a strong, capable, and confident man. Reeves understands that the Batman persona is who Wayne really is at his core. Bruce Wayne is the real mask. You see Gotham from the perspective of Batman. For the first time, Batman does not feel like a supporting character in his own film like in previous Bat flicks.

Fleshing out Batman instead of Bruce Wayne is a compelling concept and also an interesting way to tell an origin story. We are introduced to the Batman as “Vengeance”, a brutal vigilante who takes out his contempt on those who prey on the weak every night. However, Wayne is still trying to figure out who this Vengeance persona is. The Batman highlights the emotional vulnerability Wayne carries with him from unhealed childhood trauma, which is only alluded to in previous Batman films. In the process of trying to catch a killer, Wayne realizes how his actions as Vengeance have indirectly inspired the villain and his cronies to wreak their own sinister form of reprisal against the corrupt Gotham underbelly. As Vengeance, Wayne realizes he has to be more than a vigilante to inspire hope in the city. Thus, Batman is born. Reeves cleverly gives us an origin story through the lens of Batman instead of Bruce Wayne without having to rehash Wayne’s entire life story.

The Batman has all the elements that has endeared audiences to the superhero over that past three decades. The gadgets, the over-the-top villains, the dark mood, the signature Batmobile chase scene, etc. What makes The Batman stand out from its predecessors is the deeper exploration of the psyche of Wayne behind the mask. Burton provided the blueprint that would define every Batman film that would follow. Schumacher provided a more kid-friendly, lighthearted tone that carried the franchise for its time. Nolan elevated the craft of the genre by showing comic book adaptations could be more than just film studio cash grabs. Snyder catered to the nerdy, day one comic book fans. Reeves delivered a unique and captivating new angle on the Batman mythology. Reeves combines some of the best elements from prior Batman stories in his film. The enigmatic aura of Batman best represented by Michael Keaton. The morality of Christian Bale’s Batman. The brutality of Ben Affleck’s version of the Bat. The influences from all the Batman films are present. What is also present are the influences from other non-superhero films, like Christine, Taxi Driver, and Blade Runner. The Batman is not just a great comic book film, but a great film in general. The quality in the script writing, score, cinematography, acting, and direction catapults The Batman ahead of its competitors. Batman has stood the test of time due to being placed in the capable hands of talented comic book artists, video game programmers, and filmmakers who succeed in building the hero into the icon he is today. With the September premier of the movie’s Max spinoff series, The Penguin, a sequel to Joker due in theaters in October, and becoming the first superhero to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the legend of Batman is more enduring than ever.