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#batmanday

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Twin Cities Geek :1up:

It's #BatmanDay and “The Penguin” is streaming, so it's the perfect time to look back on our review of “The #Batman.” twincitiesgeek.com/2022/03/the

Twin Cities Geek - MN Geek Culture Magazine · The Brilliance of The BatmanThe Batman seems to be the first Batman movie in a long time to focus on the titular hero as more than a mere mystery.The gold standard I’ve always held for the character is the animated Mask of the Phantasm, which I adore for focusing on Bruce Wayne and his past in a manner that showcases a man struggling more with his emotional issues than deciding whether or not to be a superhero. The new film likewise sees him confronting his effect on Gotham City and his family's history more than other adaptations have done and gives us a deeper look at who Bruce is.It helps that the Batman we’re seeing in this reboot, played with quiet restraint by Robert Pattinson, is neither stepping into the Bat-boots for the first time nor many years into his vigilante crusade—it’s year two, and his quest to fight crime has not been going well. Sure, he inspires fear from the shadows, but what good has it done? Crime is still up, and corruption is still running rampant in all aspects of Gotham City.As Batman, Bruce works alongside the determined but cautious James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), despite how much the police force doesn’t trust this relatively new vigilante of the streets. They need to team up for the latest case involving the elusive Riddler (Paul Dano), who, masked and hiding in the shadows, has become a serial killer of Gotham City that targets politicians and cops. At the scene of each crime, he leaves a cryptic clue specifically for Batman. A mystery is now afoot as the hero tries to not only solve Riddler’s pattern but why he specifically targets Batman for his clues.Batman’s quest for answers leads him down some dark paths, including to the Iceberg Lounge, a criminal nightclub run by the shady businessman Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell), otherwise known as the Penguin. I enjoyed that Penguin is more of a supporting antagonist in this film rather than the big bad that Batman has to take down. He’s not the biggest mobster and not the biggest themed villain on the scene—he exists as merely a player of Gotham’s darker side, but it's a lot of fun to watch Farrell melt into this role with surprising commitment.Aiding in Batman’s investigations, of course, is Catwoman, the sly thief Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz). Though she does fulfill the expected role of Batman’s possible love interest, she also proves to be the most critical of the costumed hero. Having worked in the worst parts of the city, she’s seen firsthand how horrible Gotham can be and how little Batman has truly done to change that. So while she does aim to help him, as she has a mutual goal for her own revenge, she won’t hesitate to call him out for not understanding how it is to navigate a room full of shady characters in her shoes.A lot of the hallmarks one expects with a Batman movie are front and center with gusto. We get detective moments for the hero that go beyond just solving most of Riddler’s clues; there’s a darker angle in how crime scenes are approached with quiet concern and deep dread for the secrets unearthed. We get a lot of scenes of Batman fighting goons, whether it's the pushy guards of the Iceberg Lounge or a slew of assassins trying to kill another prominent figure. There’s also the fantastic car chase between Batman and Penguin that is surprisingly well shot, with stable cameras despite involving trucks, rain, and cars that go flipping into the air. There’s even a perfectly epic score present that I did not expect from the usually adventurous but lighter composition of Michael Giacchino.What’s even more compelling about this Batman movie compared to any other is that it’s the closest we’re probably ever going to get to a postmodern look at the character, by which I mean it actually places Bruce Wayne more under the microscope than it does the villains. That’s a wise call considering how many Batman movies have given more time to the pathos and origins of the baddies our hero will best, treating Batman more as a mystery. Director Matt Reeves has just enough ambition to peel back the layers of the man behind the cowl.It also works to the film's benefit that Batman is established less as a character who is already someone Gotham needs but rather someone who has to learn what Gotham's needs truly are. It’s clear that a caped crusader is not going to resolve all the issues here, and there’s a focus on a corrupt system and the sins of the Wayne family's past that Bruce has to answer for. Sometimes he is called for this directly by Catwoman, who brings up how all of Gotham’s moves are controlled by a system of rich white guys who can do whatever they want when law enforcement is paid off. Sometimes it’s an internal struggle, as when Bruce finds out some uncomfortable truths about how his father dealt with Gotham’s problems of poverty. I won't spoil the pleasing climax here, but it involves Batman not only learning that he has to do better but attempting to do so in any way he can.The Batman is easily one of the best Batman movies to date for leaning heavier into the detective, mystery, and criticism aspects of the titular hero. It does have some minor sequel-baiting issues that felt unnecessary, and an explosive finale that felt more obligatory than surprising. But it manages to earn its nearly three-hour run time by being one of the most intriguing depictions of the character to date.
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