The Batman

While Batman has traditionally been taken mostly seriously in films the past 30 years or so (Save for that time in the mid-90s when Joel Schumacher bowed to Studio Pressure, and tried to make the franchise more "kid-friendly".), I was still quite surprised by the darkness held within Matt Reeves' The Batman.  This is a down to earth film that tries to answer what Batman is about.  Is he a tool of vengeance driven by the death of his parents when he was young, or can he serve to do more for the people of Gotham City? 

It surprises me how few of the films about the character actually try to explore the idea of Batman as a symbol.  The reason why the character has been successfully portrayed by different actors over the years (Robert Pattinson dons the cape and cowl this time.) is because the films usually treat the character as an image.  He's the suit, he's the symbol on his chest, he's the gadgets and weapons, but seldom has a movie tried to dig deep into what Batman can truly be, or who he is.  The main film that truly sticks out in my mind that tried to dive deep into the costumed figure is 1993's underrated Mask of the Phantasm, which explored Bruce Wayne's early years of trying to develop his identity as Batman, as well as how it effected him personally.  Now here is this film which successfully asks if Batman can possibly be more than just a vigilante, and if he can actually be a symbol of hope, rather than a symbol of fear to the criminal underworld.

I don't know if we needed a full three hours to explore this idea, for as good as it is, I certainly felt the length of this one.  Regardless, the film works, because it treats Batman seriously, and is staged more as an emotional thriller rather than a blockbuster spectacle.  Some people who saw the film early complained that it was inappropriate that the film have so many food and toy tie-ins, and having seen it, I'm inclined to agree.  The movie is far too dark and intense for young children.  This is nothing new for the franchise, and I'm sure it won't stop parents from taking their kids to it.  I just had to wonder what some of the children at my screening thought of The Riddler (Paul Dano), who is not the over the top villain immortalized by Frank Gorshin in the 60s, or Jim Carrey in Batman Forever.  Rather, he is a sad and twisted individual who sets up elaborate death traps that are targeting Gotham City's elite.

That is what drives the plot, but it is not what drives the movie itself.  Yes, there are fight scenes, Catwoman (an effective Zoe Kravitz) is worked into the plot, and there is an extended car chase where The Penguin (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell) is chased down by the Batmobile.  But, this is a superhero movie that truly wants to explore what it means to be Batman, and what happens when some of Bruce's illusions about his own past are shattered.  There isn't even a final standoff between the hero and the main villain here.  It's also a brave film in a lot of ways.  It feels no need to be an origin story, even though this is a reboot of the previous Ben Affleck era.  It's also the first film about the character I can remember to truly show a complicated relationship between Batman and law enforcement.  James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) is the only one on the force who truly cooperates with the vigilante, and doesn't see him as an insult to the line of work of the police.  

Have other films touched on it?  Of course.  But, The Batman is a deep dive into a lot of ideas that the previous entries have just reflected on.  That's what held my interest during its extended running time.  The movie doesn't so much break new ground for the character, but it does explore its themes a bit deeper than I expected.  For the sake of spoilers, I won't go into detail, but it's certain to give long time fans of the character a lot to get excited over.  Will casual audiences enjoy it?  That's trickier to answer.  This is not a crowd pleasing movie, and is certainly not in a rush to get to what it's trying to say at times.  But, it's undeniably powerful, and when it does work, it is one of the more effective attempts to bring the world of the comics to the screen.  

Even if the film doesn't nail everything perfectly (the final moments are a bit standard), it still achieves what it sets out to do.  It's a fascinating dive into an iconic character who oddly is not dived much into outside of the comic medium, and is usually treated as an image.  This movie sees Batman as not just human, but also a symbol for a lot more things than just striking fear into criminals.

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