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REVIEW: The Batman (2022)

Genre: Drama; Crime; Thriller; Sci-fi; Fantasy.
Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig (screenplay by) & Arthur Laurents (based on the character by)
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro and Andy Serkis

I waited 2 weeks in order to write this review, because my level of excitement around the latest Batman installment could overrate the movie (since I am a big fan of the character)... But 2 weeks have past and I am still marveled by a lot of elements of Matt Reeves' The Batman. No... it's not perfect since it can feel overlong right before the final act, but this movie nails the horror element of the Batman stories and embraces the character's inner darkness and sorrow.
It is not an origins tale. It is not "a hero came to save us all" kind of movie. The Batman is an investigation crime movie that unites a masked vigilante and a cop in the pursue of a serial killer - it kind of ressembles David Fincher's Se7en or Ridley Scott's American Gangster - that stays away from the typical super-hero formula. And that's why The Batman is so great!
The movie never sacrifices character development: Bruce Wayne's traumas are explored in nowadays scenes with direct parallelism with his past/childhood and Robert Pattinson makes for a layered billionaire turned night vigilante. In fact, I consider Pattinson's take on Bruce Wayne as the most nuanced and complex one ever and Matt Reeves and Peter Craig gave him a script with plenty of room for the actor to explore the character. Never a Batman adaptation had such a fair approach to the hero's humanity when compared to previous adaptations ( which gave the villains a better showcase by reducing Batman to a muscle against crime only).
Jeffrey Wright is a great presence as Detective Gordon and he makes for an engaging scene partner to Pattinson. Colin Farrell (clearly) has a lot of fun playing Oz (AKA The Penguin) and he's completely unrecognizable under some impressive makeup and hair work that will gain some award attention for sure - still, you can see there's a door open for Farrell to shine in future Batman takes as this installment works a lot like a teaser trailer for his character! John Turturro and Andy Serkis have a couple of big scenes and both make the best of them. As for Paul Dano as the psychopath The Ridler... he spends most of the movie under a mask, but once his face is revealed and we get a Batman & The Ridler meeting then the Dano kills it. A dynamite and unconfortable scene where the actor showcases his great acting talents.
But the movie belongs to Zoë Kravitz, who plays Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman. From the first scene she walks on screen to the ending scene, you just can't take your eyes off her. Not only is Kravitz one of the sexiest women alive, but the way she moves here just speaks sultriness and danger. She's a true magnet on screen - sexy, mysterious and full of dark impulses, her Selina Kyle is one for the ages. Some may argue Michelle Pfeiffer's take will forever be an iconic - and it will! - but Kravitz made Catwoman different... not crazy, not mad, not all about vengeance, but damaged, emotional and impulsive. 
Kudos to Matt Reeves, who balanced narrative and style beautifully here. While the narrative might seem a bit "let's just go on one more round" when you think the movie is close to an end and then you get one more act, truth is you get to know all these characters to crave for more in the future. In the style department: The Batman features some of the most impressive cinematography works I've ever seen in a super-hero movie and maybe in movies in general! Greig Fraser really brings something very special to the screen that gives The Batman a very "unique" vibe - while the movie is mostly played in the shadows, Fraser brings some visual show by playing with the reds, the firely yellows, neons or the nightclub blues and purples. Amazing! Also fantastic work by Michael Giacchino in composing such an epic (and sometimes heartfelt) score that elevates so many scenes! Highlights for The Batman main theme or the melancholic "Sonata in Darkness" and "Catwoman". William Hoy and Tyler Nelson in the editing room created some of the most thrilling chasing sequences ever and that "shooting in the dark" scene is also editing gold. Sound department did great and so did the visual effects  and production design/set decoration teams in creating the perfect translation of Gotham city from the comic books to the big screen.
Because of all of these... I truly believe The Batman will be remembered as one of the best movies of 2022 by the end of the year and I bet it will be a strong awards player by that time. Sometimes a movie can actually benefit from an early release: it has time to build buzz! And with such a huge and faithful fanbase and high-quality cinematic elements... it can happen!


RATING: 9 / 10

Oscar potential categories:
  • Best Picture
  • Best Director (Matt Reeves)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Zoë Kravitz)
  • Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Best Editing
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Production Design
  • Best Visual Effects
  • Best Makeup & Hair
  • Best Original Score
  • Best Sound

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