Film Review: The Batman (2022)
Dear Batsy,
I’ve been a longtime fan of yours since I was a kid. Each time I watch YOU on screen, it makes me realize the mythology behind YOU is AMAAAAAZIIING!!!
Here are 5 reasons why I think this film deserves your full attention for 3hrs:
1. Film Budget Impact:
The Batman is a great superhero movie definitely intended for adults. I mean, you can bring your children to watch it but don’t expect them to get a happy and healthy night of sleep. They will forever be afraid of what lurks in the shadows! From the beginning, when you hear Bruce Wayne’s voiceover, it lets you know there is no messing around.
Seriously though, I would say the viewer will experience the best bang for buck on this this $200M film budget. It’s jam packed with actions, drama, emotive plotine and much more!
2. A Sense of Realism:
The hard part about making superhero movies is to avoid making it too cliche or too campy. Batman (and DC overall) is generally intended to have darker overtones in comparison to their counterparts at Marvel. I think this film nails it on the head, the sense of realism is preponderant from start to finish. Yeah, okay, so we don’t have masked vigilantes dressed up in real life kicking ass and taking names but if there were any in reality, don’t you think this would be it?? Gotham City is loosely inspired by New York City. The shots that they took to showcase this is very apparent.
3. Using Music in Cinema:
The music was great, I really loved how they infused Nirvana’s Something In The Way into key elements of the plotline. There is certainly a lot of dark, gritty, and grunge elements in this motion picture.
4. Comic Book Adaptations:
The key with any comic book film adaptation is to get the storyline down pat. We all know the antagonist will lose to the protagonist, it’s always predictable. Yet what isn’t always predictable is how many layers of plot are molded to create the climax. It’s always a combination of different comics, and true comic heads know the best film adaptations usually follow suit with using the best comic book versions of their favorite superheroes. Here’s a list of comics that influenced the story for this film.
5. Dark Themes Worth Addressing:
There were a lot of dark themes sprinkled throughout the film. At the intro scene, when Riddler kills the mayor, you get to the the impressions from the weapon of choice he used as well as a close up on the carpeting tool smeared in blood. Later on, when Batman and Jim Gordon are in the crime scene, Batman realizes the thumb was cut off while he was still alive (yikes)…which reminds me of Riddler’s first riddle — quite graphic!
People got shot but the main characters did not die. Not gonna lie, in today’s political climate, there is a lot of awareness spreading with how people of color are treated in films. Personally, I felt like that was a bit edgy and considered what the internet would say but then they showed that she was alive. I immediately reneged my thought process and instead evolved it to consider how impactful those moments will be. Anybody can die, anybody can go at any second. Vigilante or not, if you don’t stand for something then you’ll fall for anything! A bit of a nonsequitur but still relevant to the Batsy.
If you don’t believe anything I’ve written in this review then go check it out for yourself! You won’t be disappointed!
Best Quote From The Batman:
“Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call, it’s a warning.”
