The Batman Takes Flight

After being announced in 2019, The Batman was finally released to fans on March 4, 2022. The film grossed $66 million domestically in its opening weekend and $224 million internationally. 

Played by Robert Pattinson, the film follows Batman’s discovery of Gotham City’s underworld after discovering a trail of clues left by The Riddler (Paul Dano.) Through his persona of Batman, Bruce Wayne is tasked with preventing The Riddler’s plans to destroy the city as well as destroying the corruption throughout Gotham’s police force. Despite his busy schedule, Wayne finds time to navigate new relationships, such as the one he makes with Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz.) 

Unlike Christopher Nolan’s famous Batman trilogy with Christian Bale, director Matt Reeves, (known for making Planet of The Apes,) does not focus on Bruce Waynes origin story. Instead, the movie is set two years after Batman makes his first appearance in Gotham. 

Reeves brings a new perspective to the famous comic book story and the character of Batman by not beginning from the start of his career. Mike Reyes, in his article for Cinema Blend, describes The Batman as a “​​hero allowing himself to be Bruce Wayne again. By the end of the movie, we see a young man unafraid to die for justice.”

Known as the “World’s Greatest Detective” in the comic book world, The Batman takes advantage of this title, effectively portraying Bruce Wayne’s police work skills. The film takes on mystery as well as action, which has never been done before for The Batman.

While focusing on Batman’s deductive processes, the film also takes a more chilling route with the portrayal of its new villain characters. For instance, the Riddler, a Zodiac Killer inspired variant, brings an unsettling and creepy feel to the narrative. Senior Nelli Jimenez thought The Riddler’s character took the movie to a new level, saying that “Paul Dano played the character very well. I liked his relation to the Zodiac Killer.”

In addition to The Riddler, The Batman included the infamous mob boss Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot portrayed by Colin Farrell. Also, fans were pleasantly surprised to see the return of DC’s most famous villain, The Joker, in a setup for a sequel. It’s expected to see Barry Keoghan’s Joker as the main villain in Reeve’s next movie. 

On top of the unique and mind boggling story line, The Batman quickly became a fan favorite due to its cinematography, which Jimenez added was her favorite aspect of the film as it was visually “very beautiful.” Known for his work in Dune and Lion, cinematographer Greig Fraser heightened the movie to a new level and inspired the film’s nomination for the Golden Trailer Award for Best Motion. 

With an 85% on rotten tomatoes, it’s expected to see The Batman in the 2023 Oscars for Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Picture, and Original Score.