H. T. Davey Reviews

Review by H. T. Davey

The Batman (2022)

★★★★

Director: Matt Reeves

The Batman starts with a man peeking into the family home of Gotham’s Mayor, a well spacious and elegantly furnished apartment. Looking in, he sees a child playing with a sword in the company of his parents, about to leave for Halloween’s trick or treating. The mother and child go, leaving the father behind to relax after a long day’s work. This is the beginning of a series of deathly murders carried out by The Riddler, Gotham’s new bad guy, whom The Batman will inevitably meet.

Fast forward… we are listening to the voice of The Batman, played by Robert Pattinson, who we soon meet in his dark mysterious bat-like suit. Gotham is flooded with crime, poverty, and political tension, and we witness The Batman attempting to resolve this with one bad guy at a time.

The film shows a dark take on the film and comic book series. One word to describe this film would be “emo” or “crimson”. We see Gotham at war with itself and The Batman on a journey to stop The Riddler, work with Cat Woman and Gotham police, uncover his own past and solve a series of complicated puzzles. A crime mystery thriller at its core, we see Neo-Noir references through the cinemaphotography and camera work.

The Batman explores the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents showcasing family secrets and extortion. Cat Women’s past is explored in detail as is The Batman with dark family trauma. The film showcases the great toll that Gotham’s severe crime rates have had on the entire city, including both the poor and the wealthy. The Riddler plays with Gotham’s secrets in his twisted puzzles that result in a massive finale and race against time to save the city.

Directed by Matt Reeves, who has previously directed horror films such as Cloverfield and Let Me In. The Batman too has horror/thriller themes in it which all blend together to create a powerful and memorable film experience. Overall, this film is a striking take on The Batman with excellent acting, a thrilling plot, good quality film making and directing.