The Problem Isn’t ‘The Batman’; It’s Batman Himself
So, you've just realised your favourite superhero is kinda a loser?
(Sorry about the delay, I fell asleep at 6pm so I didn’t get a chance to publish this one).
Brief introduction
The Batman is the latest instalment in the never-ending Batman universe. This iteration directed by Matt Reeves seeks to bring back the “world’s greatest detective” aspect of his story as Bruce Wayne seeks out to tackle The Riddler just two years into his misadventures and it heavily takes inspiration from the comic Batman: The Long Halloween.
Out of respect for us all, I won’t spend the time rehashing Bruce’s backstory. After all, whether it be the animated version or the films, I’m going to assume everyone has a solid idea of who Batman is and why he does the things he does.
Since its release, the film has broken Warner Bros’ pandemic opening record to the tune of $128M+. To date, it has grossed over $248 million against a $185–200 million budget, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2022. There are two planned sequels as well as two spin-off television series in development for HBO Max.
The reviews are quite favourable for the most part, with many critics calling it the best rendition yet. They applaud its grittiness and how it goes darker than even The Dark Knight dared to go. Other reviews are a little more lukewarm. They critique the ending as cliche and tired, but overall the impression is still quite positive.
In my view, it was a fine film. Although I highly doubt I’ll watch it again any time soon, I do think it is a solid movie with excellent visuals, cinematography, editing and acting. The action scenes were nothing too incredible, but they were enjoyable nonetheless. That said, what I especially loved about this movie is how it hit it home that Batman is… kinda lame.
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*SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS*
Bruce Wayne being this way feels real
My favourite Batman responses are those calling it the [Edward]Cullenification of Batman or the ones that make fun of how emo he has become.
Not only does this film show us a darker narrative, but Bruce is a complete recluse who can barely string together a sentence. The whole movie, I kept wondering if there was an option to speed up the audio because, my god, was he slow.
But funnily enough, this isn’t a stylistic choice I disagree with! I actually think it’s the most realistic. Because in reality, wouldn’t a grown billionaire man dressing up as a bat to kick ass in the shadows be incredibly unhinged? He can literally do anything with his wealth, including give it away or see a therapist, but instead, he pays for military-grade weapons and ammunition.
I mean, give Alfred a surrogate-father of the year award for showing the mildest of concern over Bruce’s depression and PTSD (I joke). But I really enjoyed how, instead of helping him grieve, he enabled him. Bruce Wayne is a fucked up guy, and I think this is the only movie that dared to even broach that discussion. Reeves, in this regard, is a genius for showing us pure unhinged sociopathic Bruce Wayne.
Batman isn’t cool; he needs help.
Critiques of the movie are not seeing the forest for the trees
Obviously, people can like what they like, and we all have different perspectives on what we watch. But I would argue most of the negative critiques aimed at the movie are aimed at the wrong thing. The Batman isn’t a bad film, but I’d wager their issues stem from Bruce Wayne not being cool but seeming ridiculous.
In every Batman rendition thus far, we have seen a Bruce Wayne who easily navigates through being a billionaire playboy and masked vigilante. He’s charming, extroverted and appealing. But in this rendition, he is none of those things but the opposite. As Reeves and the cast have mentioned repeatedly, we see his true self. Bruce Wayne is the mask he hasn’t yet manufactured, which is why we barely see him out of costume. Even The Riddler comments during the film how people seem to not realise Batman is his true self and removing the mask is the true “fake”.
In the subsequent movies, we are bound to see him become wiser and more credulous as he learns how to act as Bruce Wayne. As Pattinson says, “He has no desire to be Bruce in this and he wants to just throw it away. He thinks this is the way he can save himself, by living in this kind of Zen state as Batman, where it’s just pure instinct and no emotional baggage”.
I may not enjoy Batman as a superhero, but it was a good film
Once upon a time, I related heavily to Batman. I enjoyed how he decided to master his rage and use his resources to fight crime. Some years and healing later, I think his whole shtick is a little cringy. Like, what’s stopping him from investing his money into Gotham vs beating up the poor? Yes, some people are just pure evil but also share the wealth!
Obviously, I will never know what it’s like to lose your parents at such a young age, but I do think his chosen self-help method is a little weird. Therefore, imma need people calling this a “bad film” to sit in their discomfort a little and realise the real reason they didn’t like the film. It’s not The Batman that’s bad, it’s Bruce.
Let’s be honest, is a man who spent the last two years “doing nights” going to behave normally?
He’s a creep!
This film is definitely a slow burn. My first impression when I watched it was what the fuck?, but after a few days, I really enjoyed the risks it took. The characterisation of Batman was excellent, and I think people need to reconcile that their fave masked vigilante is a weirdo.
But don’t worry, I’m sure the next instalment will show us a much more stabler, Bruce Wayne!