Before beginning a review of this movie, I’d love to give a little background or dare I say, introduction to kinda clear a pathway and make you understand my thinking process just a little.
My brother always accuses me of loving The Marvel franchise over DC’s, which is absolutely false. I preferred how attainable some Marvel’s characters are – Punisher, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Spiderman...these characters kinda resonated with me for a lot of reasons that I’d prefer not to name at the moment.
DC’s on the other hand had Wonderwoman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Shazam etc, people with powers that quite frankly mortals or regular humans could not battle against. This meant that in order to have a worthy foe, you’d expect a character from another planet or an opponent that could possibly decimate buildings and entire cities. Those fights seemed a little far-fetched to me.
So I really loved the character, Batman. The stories around him involved everyday people, living difficult lives in Gotham, a place known for it’s number of weirdos. I loved how the characters are built and how it takes someone like me, albeit with billions of dollars and an unresolved penchant, to be the main character who stops evil without jeopardizing his core principles.
I particularly liked Christopher Nolan’s Batman, which starred Christian Bale but the ones after were too dark and dystopian for me. I really didn't expect much from the recent ‘The Batman’, which starred Robert Pattison. Why? Well I felt he wouldn’t properly play the role of a grim, blood, brutal and investigative vigilante. I always seem to associate him with teen romance, maybe because of ‘Twilight’.
However, his carriage of the character, Bruce Wayne and the batman was quite astonishing. I was hooked to the character and his narration also resonated with me.
‘The Batman’ was a full 2hrs 52minutes of screen time and I must say it was worth every bit of my time. Like a lot of non-core comic book fans, I always disregarded the threat of the character, the Riddler. I always felt he was a second rate villain...and maybe he is but he didn't seem that way in this movie. His ability to attract the entire gaze of everyone in Gotham including the batman, the police, media, socialites and even the crime bosses was a plus to this movie.
I particularly loved Paul Dano's acting as the Riddler and his dialogue with the Batman after the Riddler had been initially arrested was quite stimulating. The carnage he caused and how much the city suffered from it held my attention and admiration. I think I appreciate the growth of the character Selena Kyle, who is Catwoman. And the somewhat apprehensive relationship between Jim Gordon and the Batman...it showed they hadn't known each other well enough to trust one another completely.
And then the Joker comes along.
It's a must watch.