Review: THE BATMAN Is Unlike Any Other Batman Film We've Seen Before and It's Awesome

The Batman has finally hit theaters and audiences are flocking to see what this next installment of the DC franchise has to offer. This is a film that I’ve been very much looking forward to seeing. I’ve liked all of the footage that I’ve seen leading up to its release, and I was confident that director Matt Reeves was going to deliver a Batman film unlike any other Batman film that we’ve seen before. That’s exactly what he gave us and I loved it!

We finally get to see Batman in full-on detective mode in this movie! I’ve always been a fan of detective Batman, but it’s a part of the character that has been glossed over in previous films. The Batman takes the time to explore the little intricate details of the story being told. While the film is filled with the big exciting action that fans expect from these films, what I loved most about it is the story it told.

The Batman had a very dark David Fincher vibe to it, and you can tell it was heavily inspired by his film Se7en, which I thought was great. That style and tone worked perfectly for this story and it’s something that I always thought would be cool to see, and Reeves managed to pull it off perfectly. I’ve been talking about wanting to see a Se7en-style Batman and Riddler serial killer film with my friends for years, and now it actually exists and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Reeves completely nailed it!

I especially enjoyed seeing Batman and Jim Gordon teaming up and working very closely with each other over the course of the film as they work on figuring out what in the hell the Riddler is doing, why he’s killing certain people, and the dark secrets of the city that he’s looking to bring to light. The two characters were partners in this story that together a lot as they worked the case, and I loved that relationship. We’ve never seen these characters played with like that before!

As for Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman… he was freakin’ great! I don’t care what anyone says, I thought he was awesome in the role he gave us a very interesting and unique version of the character that we’ve never seen explored before on film. One other thing that this film does with the character that I liked, is that he’s almost always in his Batman suit. There are only a handful of brief scenes where we see him as Bruce Wayne, so Batman gets a ton of screen time, which I thought was cool.

One of the other things I loved about how the character was handled is how they played with the fear aspect of him and how he struck fear into the hearts of the criminals of Gotham. Like he was some terrifying mythical creature lurking in the shadows that will come out at any time to deliver vengeful justice. That was a lot of fun!

I like how all of the characters in the film were handled! The film also stars Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Jeffery Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson. They all gave great performances and it was interesting to see how their characters were utilized in the story.

After watching this film, I’m definitely very excited about the Penguin series that Reeves is developing for HBO Max. The character’s story arc was set up perfectly in The Batman, and such a fascinating character that was played perfectly by Farrell. He’s also presented in a way where he’s actually very likable. So, I’m looking forward to seeing his story arc continue as he rises up in the criminal underworld of Gotham City.

Paul Dano’s version of The Riddler was very interesting. There were certain aspects of how he was handled that I wasn’t expecting. While he was a sinsiter character, there was also a bit of a silly side to him, which is what you’d expect from him. But the way they do that and the way they play with him in terms of what he’s trying to do isn’t what I was expecting, but it was a fun way to go.

As for Kravitz’s Catwoman, the creative team did a great job fleshing out her character and giving her an important and pivotal part of the story. I dug her style, and it was fun watching her kick some ass when she needed to. Kravitz was also fantastic in the role! She brought the character to life in a very cool way.

There are characters in the movie that I’d like to see explored further, and I’m curious to see how that all plays out as Reeves and Warner Bros. continue to build and expand on the franchise. The movie definitely sets up characters for future stories and on top of the spinoff shows that are being developed, I’m pretty confident that we’ll also get several sequels to the film as well.

I have a feeling that this version of Batman and Gotham City is going to be around for years to come, which I’m perfectly fine with! I think Batman fans are going to love the film. If you’ve seen it already tell us what you think!