ARTS & CULTURE
14 | FUTURE OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
16 | BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT
Robert Pattinson successfully portrays Bruce Wayne’s inexperience as a young Batman in DC’s latest revival. CREDIT: WARNER BROS. PICTURES
The shadows are alive in The Batman, for better or for worse The Dark Knight isn’t dark enough in this stylistically bold iteration PRABHJOT BAINS
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lthough it aims to be much more, The Batman never becomes anything more than an entertaining, above-average superhero rendition. This isn’t to say that this version of the caped crusader is not a good superhero film; in fact it's quite the opposite. It delivers one of the best comic-book movies in recent memory and makes use of its cinematic influences to great effect, namely Se7en (1995), Zodiac (2007), and Taxi Driver (1976). Unfortunately, The Batman never becomes anything greater than a comic-book rendition of these classics. In the vein of those master-
pieces, The Batman presents itself not as a typical superhero film, but more of a gritty, dark, and contemplative crime thriller that converts the historically goofy villain of the Riddler into a sadistic, intelligent, and damaged serial killer who pokes at the very existence of Gotham City, Batman, and more intrinsically, Bruce Wayne. Yet, for a film that desires to hone in on a detailed examination of dark subject matter, it is repeatedly constrained by its PG-13 rating. Its ambition to be a visceral and dark experience remains just that, an ambition. It never truly comments on these mature themes in a meaningful way since
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 1.5/2 DIRECTION: 2/2 SCREENPLAY: 1.5/2 PERFORMANCES: 1.5/2 ENTERTAINMENT FACTOR: 1.5/2 TOTAL: 8/10
it has to compromise its vision to appeal to a broader audience. It’s a crime thriller that, at times, distinctly lacks a visual showcase of the consequences of its character’s actions. The murders have no bodies, and Batman’s brutal brawls lack that punch of lush sanguine that its opening titles and marketing are littered with. As a result, the film is constantly at odds with itself, teetering on the edge of being a mature noir but lacking the courage to ultimately dive into it. The final film forces us to wonder what a truly mature Batman film would look like, as Warner Brothers’ decision frustratingly keeps it from greatness, and instead, opts to play it safe. The overt darkness the film shrouds itself in is both a blessing and a curse. The villains this time around, The Penguin, (Colin Farrell) and The Riddler (Paul Dano), are adequate foils for our hero but do not possess the virtuosity that was present in previous iterations, like Ledger’s Joker and even Hardy’s Bane. These villains are well-acted but contain an unintentional silliness that places them far away from the pantheon. Because of this, they are another factor that keeps this film from true greatness. A great antagonist would’ve served this film’s ma-
ture and dark ambitions well and allowed it to overcome its compromise of accessibility. What this film’s darkness lacks in terms of thematic exploration, it makes up with a cinematic style that oozes with the delectable trappings of a pulp fantasy. The Batman’s superb art direction, cinematography, and production design create a dingy world that purely complements the rise of the Batman as a vigilante who hopes to cleanse the filth that populates it. This is without a doubt the greatest version of Gotham City ever put to film, and it’s a grubby location that I am excited to see further explored in subsequent films. Its visual style alone puts this film high above its recent comic-book contemporaries, pushing back against the factory production style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to create a film that is a wholly unique product of its director’s vision. The enveloping wide angles supplement the dark hues that pervade the screen, creating a unique re-envisioning of what a comic-book film should feel like. With the exhausting popularity of the MCU reaching new highs, it's refreshing to see a film that is attempting to convey its tale with a visual focus, rather than the bland and faint minute-to-minute highs of, say, a Spiderman, Iron
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21 | POETRY
Man or Captain America film, which emphasized fan payoff over a welltold and stylistically underpinned story. The beauty of cinema is realized when an artist’s voice is not completely trampled over by a typical formula, even though this rendition of Batman desperately needed an R rating. While the story is refreshing in its bold style, The Batman’s almost three-hour running time leaves the experience feeling too bloated, diminishing the narrative’s ultimate immersion and staying power. While I appreciate the story Matt Reeves attempted to craft, it felt like it should have ended about 35 minutes earlier. But what makes this length easier to swallow is Robert Pattinson’s captivating turn as the tortured and obsessive man behind the Dark Knight’s cowl. He nails the inner darkness and inexperience of a young Bruce Wayne who's only been Batman for two years. Pattinson perfects the desperation and neuroticism of a man who would resort to this type of vigilantism as he hopes to not only combat the crime that plagues Gotham, but to fight against the loneliness of losing his parents. Zoë Kravitz nails the eroticism and sly nature of Selena Kyle, whose alter-ego, The Catwoman, plays a pivotal role not only in the film’s exploration of Gotham’s crime underworld, but Bruce’s emotional growth as well. The Batman is a good comic-book iteration that revels in its bold original style, seducing us into the grimy world of Gotham. But due to the constraints of a PG-13 rating, it fails to move beyond that general description and become a truly great film. Although well-made and entertaining, the film runs too long, has a lack of memorable villains, and is unable to truly explore the darkness it comments on, leaving us hopeful that the next film will finally be “the one.”
