Batman Returns to Puzzle Out the Riddler

Robert Pattinson in "The Batman"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Director Matt Reeves is someone who has accomplished a fine progression as a filmmaker.  He displayed spectacle on a low budget with “Cloverfield,” an emotional story with “Let Me In,” and then blended spectacle and story in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.”  With those last two movies, you can see that Reeves has grown into a director on whom you can rely to craft blockbusters that have as many thrills as they do moments of dramatic heft.

Now, Reeves continues that trend with a dive into comic-book films.  His latest movie, “The Batman,” is another epic and layered adaptation for the superhero that constructs an intriguing immersion into this staple of DC Comics’ mythology.

Having watched over Gotham City for two years as Batman, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) has been doing whatever he can to keep the city safe.  When a new danger emerges in the form of the Riddler (Paul Dano), Bruce will have to outsmart him as he comes face to face with his past and how it connects to the corruption within Gotham.

Pattinson delivers a superb interpretation of the Caped Crusader.  From his speech to his body language, he shows how much of a toll being a vigilante has had on him.  There’s an intense sense of burden that Pattinson gives to his version of Batman, exhibiting someone who realizes he can’t be everywhere to save everyone, but must do his best with what he can do.  Pattinson provides a view into the loss that Bruce experienced before the events of the movie and how that has impacted him.  However, this grimness doesn’t make up his whole performance.  Rather, Pattinson does an equally superb job in bringing out Bruce’s resilience and ingenuity in the face of Gotham’s horrors and the care for the people to whom he becomes close.

Zoë Kravitz gives a strong performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.  She displays the cunning behavior and humor that we’ve come to know in this character, all while imbuing it with a layer of melancholy as she faces her own troubles.  Kravitz brings out the deep-rooted commitment that her character has in fulfilling her personal agenda while trying to collaborate with Bruce, presenting a Catwoman who’s magnetic to watch.

Dano portrays the Riddler as a version that’s much more disturbed than what we saw with Jim Carrey’s version in Joel Schumacher’s “Batman Forever.”  This Riddler ensures that you’ll be unsettled whenever he’s on screen.  Much like how Heath Ledger reinvented the Joker for Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” Dano gives us a Riddler who fits in with today’s world.  Whether he’s addressing his audience with a chilling, serial-killer calm, or outbursts of rage, this is a terrific reimagining of one of Batman’s most iconic villains, and Dano’s approach announces a welcome addition to the pantheon of memorable villain portrayals in Batman films.

Backing up Pattinson, Kravtiz, and Dano is a supporting cast of huge talent.  There’s Jeffrey Wright as dedicated Gotham PD lieutenant James Gordon; John Turturro as intimidating mob boss Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard as corrupt Gotham DA Gil Colson; Andy Serkis as Bruce’s loyal butler and friend, Alfred Pennyworth; and an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as one of Falcone’s top associates, Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin.  All of these performances help flesh out the rich array of characters that populate Gotham and contribute to the sprawl of the story.

The screenplay by Reeves and Peter Craig delves into the “World’s Greatest Detective” aspect of Batman’s character, bringing audiences through the layers of Gotham’s criminality.  Craig, who was one of the writers for the bank-robbery drama, “The Town,” uses that experience to cowrite a narrative that’s every bit as much a superhero story as it is a crime saga.  This is a Batman movie where we see him as a detective, searching for clues that lead him to bigger and more disturbing truths.  The story delivers thrills as we go from one scene to next and uncover more secrets that grow out of the central mystery.

The film has a three-hour runtime, so there are several characters ands plot threads on which to focus, which can lead to the movie becoming a tad unwieldy at times.  However, the way in which everyone and everything begins to connect to the larger picture as the movie goes on means that there isn’t anything that’s superfluous.

Greg Fraser, who collaborated with Reeves on his horror drama, “Let Me In,” continues to be one of the finest cinematographers working today when it comes to lensing big-budget blockbusters, as he did in 2016 with Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and just a few months ago with Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.”  From the shadowy streets, alleyways and subway platforms, to the grandness of Wayne Manor, to the expansiveness of Gotham City, Fraser immerses you in settings that have their details jump out.  He knows how to bring a sense of artistry to the visuals, not only to the character-driven scenes, but also the big effects-driven scenes.  

Reeves establishes wonderful atmospherics that heighten the grimness of Gotham, distinguishing himself from the eye-catching architectural mishmash of Tim Burton’s two Batman films and the urban realism of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.  Given how many times we’ve seen Batman on screen, it’s important for a filmmaker to set himself apart from what we’ve seen before, and Reeves delivers.  Aside from the ambiance and memorable drama between the characters, Reeves gives us terrific actions scenes, such as Batman and Selina going up against the Riddler’s followers, and the fiery car chase between Batman and the Penguin.  Reeves has shown in the past that he can bring audiences scenes of spectacle that don’t feel conventional, and that talent carries over to this.  

“The Batman” is supposed to be the first in a new trilogy, and if Reeves is able to maintain his impressive balancing act of drama and action, I’ll look forward to visiting his bold vision of Gotham City once again.

Grade: A-