The Batman (2022)
Sometimes beauty does beat brains.
Presentation:
This is one of the best looking films and is a masterclass for gothic visuals. Shot on Arri and beautifully detuned Arri LF anamorphic lenses, the film looks spectacular with incredibly moody lighting from Greg Frasier. Score is also pleasurable though the Nirvana soundtrack tries too hard to be edgy. The cinematography is enough to make me rewatch clips again and again but each viewing will be worse than the last as you’ll notice the flaws in the story each time. That being said, this is probably the best Batman universe we have seen, perhaps even most immersive detective universe.
Story:
The mood and tone are wonderfully broody including a great cast despite the characters having poor motivation. Did the Butler need to hide such a truth just to create friction? Was Bruce Wayne’s sins of the father really so egregious to be a main point of contention? Was Catwoman even necessary? The main gripe with this film is the story. This is one of the most incompetent Batmans in the history of Batman. The Riddler beats Batman at every turn and would have never gotten caught if he didn’t turn himself in (Nolan's Joker?), which was also meaningless for him to do. The film is basically Batman running around the city and accomplishing nothing: doesn’t reallly save anyone nor stop the Riddler from any of his attacks. This ultimately leaves little reward aside from a slight epiphany in the main character development. So this film should really be called The Riddler featuring Batman as the vessel to drive his story. I have to say the best characters are the villains, especially the Penguin, with Batman feeling like a side character. But at the end of it all, it's a pointless failure of the iconic hero. The scenes are still beautifully staged and performed but it’s a lot of running around. The detective aspects are really nice and differentiate from other Batman films.
Conclusion:
This film will be loved by many just not for its story. The film is designed to be rooted in gritty realism but the focus doesn’t apply to anything in the plot. Many will be blinded by its beauty, to which I simply ask fans to try and summarize what happens in this film in coherent sentences - You can’t. One of my visual references for gothic looks, which is enough for a cautious recommendation. But beneath the surface is a hidden poorly designed floor plan.
Recommendations
A children’s tale…for adults?