‘The Batman’ Movie Beatdowns

“The Batman” (2022) is a great movie. Matt Reeves brings a new, dark and exciting
energy to the Dark Knight and the city of Gotham.
This movie handles Bruce Wayne very differently than other iterations that have come
before. Robert Pattinson’s performance is a far cry from Ben Affleck’s brutal Bat and
Christian Bale’s grounded take. Pattinson’s performance was inspired by grunge rock
legend Kurt Cobain. His Bruce is moody, often very secluded, but he’s extremely smart.
Reeves decided to lean into the detective side of the caped crusader. There have always
been elements of the detective side of Batman in his other films, but it has never been
explored to this degree. Most of this film follows Bruce Wayne attempting to solve the
riddles left by Paul Dano’s Riddler.
That doesn’t mean a lack of action in this movie though. There are multiple action set
pieces that show off the intense brutality this version of Batman displays. The beatdowns
he gives out are brutal. Every punch feels so impactful, the sound design of each impact
makes every fight almost difficult to watch.
Batman isn’t the only one getting in on the action in this flick. Zoe Kravitz is in this film
as Selina Kyke, aka Catwoman. Her performance is excellent, if not a little short. She is an
important part of this movie, but it seems like she was supposed to have more time on
screen. The time she does have is excellent and she is the emotional core of this film. Her
story arch emotionally guides the audience and Bruce towards the conclusion of the story.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss Paul Dano’s terrifying performance as Edward Nashton,
The Riddler. He does an excellent job as a dark presence that looms over the people of
Gotham City. The Zodiac-inspired take allows The Riddler to be a genuine threat to the city
on a scale like never before.
This film is full of incredible performances, breathtaking set pieces and a remarkable
score that keeps audiences engaged during the entirety of the nearly three hours runtime.
It’s not perfect, but it is one of the greatest Batman movies to date.
4 out of 5 Bats for this one.