Spoiler Warning: This discussion features some important narrative information that could spoil the text for you. It does not necessarily spell out the film's conclusion, but it does talk about events in detail.
"What the hell is this? Good cop, bat-shit cop?"
Matt Reeves' The Batman remains one of my 2022 favourites; it is an integral part of the recent trend of high-production, high-quality blockbusters. I think the focus on its talented cast and crew all the film to shine, making its three-hour runtime feel relentless and energetic like every scene is vital to this sprawling detective story. Pattinson's Batman is pale and unkempt, with eye makeup that would do The Cure proud, and I, for one, love the goth-sad-boy direction this takes us in.
The action is some of the most exciting in the superhero genre, one that has recently become muddied with excessive and rushed CGI work. The Batman sets its sights on explosive, hard-hitting hand-to-hand combat and covert effects shots that are really too hard to notice. I appreciate that traditional mode of action filmmaking with its slight deviations on the Batman character - a batsuit base jump rather than a Bond-esque parachute escape or the Batmobile car chase sequence, blue flamed engine and all. Reeves is clearly a very competent director who knows his way around shooting different genres; the action sequences are a great benefactor of that.
However, it is perhaps the mystery-thriller elements that are the true heart of the movie, two genres that Reeves has generally steered clear of throughout his career. The sequence where Dano's Riddler continues to drone the name Bruce Wayne after a lengthy build-up where Batman thinks his identity has been unearthed. It's a great lesson in suspenseful filmmaking, and while it may take a good deal of time to do it, I still love its execution. The lighting is always on point, and I love the return to intricate Gothic architecture in Wanye Manor and Gotham itself.
The Batman still impresses, arguably an unwarranted reboot given the sheer number of Batmans we've had since Clooney. However, this may be my favourite of the bunch, right up there with The Dark Knight. Its ensemble cast is remarkably well-casted, and its Fincher influences just hit right for the text. This is one of those three-hour movies I can see myself returning to often; it's that entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment