We are now in a time where we can’t seem to move beyond projects that repeat themselves and constantly revolve around the same topics. Thanks to social media, modern comic book characters are making more money than ever before, and we wake up every day to announcements of a new superhero movie. While I never say no to new characters that have never been adapted to the screen before, it does bother me when some characters are portrayed by different actors three or five times. Spider-Man and Batman are among those who have been affected. It appears that Joker will also get his share of the same treatment. It’s unfortunate to see a character like Joker being turned into bubble gum. Yes, you may argue that it’s like James Bond, where one person leaves, and another takes over the costume. That’s part of the costume’s history. But is it really right for the other person to put on the new costume without the other having left?
When the first announcement for the new Batman movie was made, I, like many others, wasn’t excited. Some characters need time to develop. Personally, I can’t enjoy it when one person wears the costume before the other has even fully taken it off. Even though we haven’t ultimately said goodbye to Ben Affleck’s Batman, a new Batman coming out is suitable for movie theaters and great for fans, but it’s pretty dull and kills my joy. Fans may always want it to be ours, but these are still superheroes. We need to look at it with some logic from their own universes. After all, how many times can you see Batman on the street?
Let’s briefly discuss the plot… Young Batman goes out into the streets every night and tries to scare off people who are committing or about to commit crimes. If they decide to attack him instead of being scared, he beats them up and takes out his family’s pain on them. His hobby of beating up street thieves ends when a serious rival appears. A maniac who calls himself The Riddler hunts corrupt politicians at night and leaves messages for Batman at every murder scene. However, in order to prevent more deaths, Batman needs to find this maniac.
Marvel has managed to dominate the last 15 years with its films. On the other hand, due to poor planning, DC has not been able to properly put its films on track. As a result, DC has become a fragmented universe. The main reason people, including myself, love DC is because of its ruthless and opposite-in-color streets compared to Marvel. Dark, eerie, and a bit absurd. Although they use the absurd part well in their TV shows, the eerie and dark part has never been properly created. Watchmen was the best at providing this sought-after atmosphere, but it is not part of the universes we are discussing. The Batman has captured this “troubled” city atmosphere at its core. While I still prefer the color tone of Justice League, the film accurately portrays the sought-after DC gloominess.
However, as much as the city has the desired atmosphere, the “hero” within it is unfortunately not as cool as the city. I have never seen Robert Pattinson as a white-skinned vampire, and I have watched almost every film he has been in. It is clear that there are places where he fits and places where he doesn’t. We need to be honest about this. As much as he succeeded in The Lighthouse and Good Time, he didn’t in The Batman. Similarly, the father he portrayed in The Devil All The Time was not among his best roles. However, in recent years, there has been an exciting trend where Robert Pattinson is loved and appreciated as a leading man. Yet, apart from Twilight, he has never had a top-class role until Batman. It is best to comment on this admiration without forgetting that its foundations are tied to Twilight.
It seems as if people love Batman just because Robert Pattinson is playing the role. However, he couldn’t carry the costume, and even though his rookie years are portrayed, it doesn’t look good on him. The “emo” character assigned to him is truly one of the worst parts. I repeat, even though it is his second year as Batman, not being able to see the Bruce Wayne splendor we are accustomed to is disappointing. Moreover, the biggest problem with the film is that there is no Bruce Wayne in the movie. Even though Bruce Wayne’s name is on everyone’s lips throughout the film, the character himself is absent. All we see throughout the film is an amateur Batman.
Unfortunately, the story itself is one of the main reasons for Robert Pattinson not fitting the character. In fact, the film starts off quite strongly by expressing that the signal is a warning. It starts off with the hope of seeing that same wild Batman character that everyone is looking for, but the course of the story destroys all the glory of Batman. The film eventually turns into an ordinary detective story. While many have compared it to Zodiac and Seven, I didn’t get the same enjoyment from this film as I did from Zodiac. In both films, there is a crazy person who mocks the police, but in Zodiac, the inability to figure out what’s going on and the killer always being two steps ahead make the film exciting. Moreover, the police officers in Zodiac were just ordinary ones. In this film, there is a “Batman.” That is why you expect Batman-like things from Batman. However, all you can get is the same old crime and action scenes that air during the evening.
I watched the film’s second half with great boredom, and it could be the most boring superhero story I’ve ever seen in terms of the plot. Despite having beautiful characters, it’s also a success that it manages to be so dull. The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is an excellent character, but the only thing that made Heath Ledger’s Joker successful was having a Batman who stood firm against him. The technical Batman in this film loses the fight against an amateur, the Riddler. Colin Farrell’s Italian-style Penguin and John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone characters were also quite successful. They could have become much more special if they had appeared in another series. However, as successful as Penguin and Falcon are, James Gordon, Pennyworth, and especially Catwoman are unsuccessful. Zoe Kravitz’s forced, contorted walk was horrible.
In short, The Batman is a film that lacks a serious Batman and is successful in design but unsuccessful in story. What turns the antagonistic characters into classics is the existence of a protagonist character that is equally as high quality. The fact that there is no competent character against the Riddler and that this character is designed quite “dramatically” reduces the enjoyment of watching the film. Moreover, the fact that the story is nothing more than an ordinary detective story diminishes the value of this film, which is released under the name Batman, in my eyes. Despite having many other shortcomings, I prefer to close the subject without dwelling on them too much.
Cast & Crew
director: Matt Reeves
writers: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig, Bob Kane
starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis
USA | 2022 | 176 MINUTES |