I can’t remember the last time I saw the opening screening of a film, but I did so yesterday (Thursday) to see The Batman. My expectations weren’t high, as I had heard it was very violent and featured a serial killer at the centre of its plot, neither of which I appreciate. But Batman has always (since I was a boy) been by far my favourite superhero and critics were generally positive, so I thought I had better watch it.

Wow!

I liked Tim Burton’s Batman films and I liked Michael Keaton as Batman. Same with the Christopher Nolan trilogy and Christian Bale as Batman. Batman Begins (2005) was, until now, my favourite superhero film. But …

Wow!

The Batman. Literally and figuratively one of the darkest films ever made. The use of music to help create that darkness is masterful – the pounding soundtrack is a highlight for me. The Batman/Bruce Wayne himself is dark in every way, his face and dour expression as dark as his clothes and his gothic-style mansion. I won’t say his performance was extraordinary (it was very good), but Robert Pattinson was certainly the right choice for this dark Batman.

Or is he Batman? He is referred to as ‘the’ Batman, not Batman, and when, early in the film, one of Gotham City’s seedier characters asks him who he is, the reply is not “I am Batman” or even “I am The Batman”, but “I am vengeance.”

Vengeance. This is also what Catwoman Selina Kyle (a terrific Zoë Kravitz) might call herself if asked, as vengeance lies at the heart of her motives. But more interestingly, vengeance is also what the film’s villain would call himself. The Batman’s serial killer (the Riddler, played scarily well by Paul Dano) is all about exposing the corruption in the city’s governance and police force and exacting vengeance. So the three characters at the heart of The Batman: “I am vengeance.” And yet this film bears no resemblance to The Avengers.

Wow!

When Gotham’s mayor is brutally murdered, Lieutenant James Gordon (a wonderful understated performance by Jeffrey Wright) finds a card addressed to the Batman left behind by the killer. Gordon turns on the bat-signal, which looks as sinister as the rest of this dark (and darkly beautiful) city. The card provides clues to lead the Batman (with the help of Alfred, Wayne’s butler, played by Andy Serkis) to evidence of the mayor’s corruption. Cards are also left behind at the scenes of the subsequent brutal murders (of more corrupt leaders). Gordon and the Batman (and Alfred) must solve the riddles in a film that highlights the detective skills of our hero rather than his fighting skills. This fits in well with the film noir atmosphere of The Batman.

Following the clues, the Batman visits a nightclub where he meets the Penguin (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell), a mobster working for crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Selina also works at the club. The Batman suspects she knows something and follows her home, discovering who she is and enlisting her help. There is a great chemistry between them throughout the film, though Selina’s character is not as well developed as it could be. 

To avoid spoilers, I won’t say any more about the plot (there’s a fair bit going on here, as this is a three-hour film). But I will say a little more about Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. This is not the charming playboy of previous films. Wayne is a sad intense figure who exudes pain throughout (I particularly appreciated the way I could read Pattinson’s expression even behind the mask). Wayne’s troubled character lends weight to questions like: Is The Batman a hero or an antihero? If the hero and the villain are both after the same thing, how different are they? Is this really a superhero film at all, since there are no unusual powers on display and nothing formulaic about the film? 

The Batman was written and directed by Matt Reeves, whose previous films (War for the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield, Let Me In) have impressed me, so it’s not a big surprise that he has created a thoughtful, if bleak, film featuring excellent acting, gorgeous cinematography and a haunting score. There were, however, a couple of things I didn’t like about The Batman: 1) The lengthy car chase scene; the critics loved it, but I found it an utterly pointless waste of time (I’ve always hated car chases); 2) I have nothing against long films, but there were a few unnecessary scenes in the middle that could have shaved off about fifteen minutes and helped with the pacing of the film. And of course I did not enjoy the violence or the serial killer elements.

Nevertheless, I must confess (as the wows have revealed) that The Batman blew me away. What can I say? I’ve always liked dark films (as long as there is a character at the centre I can engage with). In the case of The Batman, well, I’ve listed most of the things that I liked about the film, to which I will add my appreciation for the political commentary, but I can’t tell you the biggest reasons why I loved it without spoilers, so … 

The Batman is maybe just a little too violent for me to give it an easy four stars, so for now I’ll say ***+ – ****. My mug is up.