“They think I’m hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows.”
You have certain expectations when you go to a superhero/comic book movie. Sure, it changes a little depending on the character that you’re going to see. But there are certain things that all of these films tend to have in common. There’s an expectation of frantic action and some mind-bending special f/x. You’re looking for colorful villains who tend to act over-the-top and always provide that gentle wink back at the audience. When these expectations aren’t met, audiences tend to be disappointed, and big-budget films can end up costing the studios hugely in the end. Even as we appear to be reaching the last days of the limited pandemic crowds, that risk gets multiplied. It also doesn’t help if audiences are still riding the high off the first big global billion-dollar film in almost three years. That’s the kind of headwinds The Batman is facing when audiences line up to see the return of one of the oldest and most famous heroes in comic history. What if I were to tell you that you won’t get a lot of any of those things, but you’re going to love it anyway? That’s exactly what I am telling you about Warner Brothers’ newest Batman film, simply titled The Batman.
It all started pretty much when the whole Snyder-led Justice League era was coming to an end, at least for a while. Ben Affleck was going to continue his run as Batman in a standalone film that he was once going to write/direct and star in. Well … Affleck’s life took a little turn for the worse, and the more time that went by, the less likely it was that movie was ever going to see a local multiplex. Warner Brothers didn’t give up. They turned to Matt Reeves, who did such a great job on Fox’s Planet Of The Apes franchise. Before we knew it things were looking brighter for The Dark Knight. Robert Pattinson was tapped to take on the dual lead of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and my expectations got a little deflated. But a huge, strong cast started to get caught up in this thing, and it grew to monstrous proportions. Rumors started to circulate that the first cut of the film ran almost four hours. By the time of the final cut, it was still running just under three hours. And that’s where it finally stands. The question remains. Will that three hours feel more like four hours, or will it sprint by so fast we won’t see the end coming? I’m happy to report, it’s the latter.
The first thing you have to understand is that you need to adjust those expectations. Don’t think of this as a superhero film or a comic film. Think of this more like a serial killer thriller like Seven or Silence Of The Lambs. That’s not as much of a stretch as you might think. Remember that in his early days back in the late 1930’s until the 50’s, Batman was better known as The World’s Greatest Detective. He actually rarely faced big bads like The Joker or The Penguin. He faced mobsters and normal killers. Consider this film a return to those oft-forgotten roots of the character, and you will be in for a fine treat.
The film is loosely based on the Year Two comic run. Batman (Pattinson) is still kind of finding his way and keeping a journal of his exploits and thoughts. The Gotham City police are split on what they think of the vigilante. Most don’t trust him. James Gordon (Wright) isn’t commissioner yet. He’s a lieutenant and pretty much Batman’s inside man on the force. He believes in this mysterious stranger and has worked out a signal to summon Batman when he’s needed. It’s a crude version of the famous Bat Signal. And Gordon needs Batman’s help now with the brutal murder of Gotham’s mayor, who was in the middle of a tough campaign for re-election. The killer leaves behind an envelope addressed to Batman and calls himself The Riddler (Dano). It appears that this killer has a list of people with connections that are yet to be discovered. He intends to kill them in gruesome fashions and taunts Batman to stop him. Things get complicated when it appears Bruce Wayne is one of the targets because of the deeds of his father Thomas (Roberts) and Martha Arkham Wayne (Stocker). Bruce is learning there is so much he doesn’t know about his parents, and only butler Alfred (Serkis) appears to know those truths. It appears that his parents might have been mixed up in a corrupted mob led by local Don of Gotham, Carmine Falcone (Turturro). The more he investigates, the deeper the mystery goes. He must battle his own demons and stop The Riddler. The result is a much more nuanced Batman than we’ve ever seen and a deep collection of characters that feel more like throwbacks from an old George Raft gangster film or a modern film noir assortment of seedy characters who live and operate deep in the shadows of Gotham City.
Those characters include The Penguin, played by an unrecognizable Colin Farrell. Like the character of the old comics, he’s the owner of a seedy nightclub called The Iceberg Lounge. Batman also encounters cat burglar Selina Kyle, played by Zoe Kravitz, who is planning on taking Falcone down for personal reasons. Another throwback from those 40’s comics has Batman and Kyle in a somewhat complicated relationship. The two share much better chemistry than I expected, and there are some really nice film noir moments between these two characters. You never hear the name Catwoman, but the origins are certainly easy to see. John Turturro is equally lost in the guise of Falcone and truly brings to life one of the better characters from the old comics. I love that when Bruce goes to see Falcone for the first time, he’s listening to I Have But One Heart, the song Johnny Fontaine sings at the wedding in The Godfather. The most amazing thing about this cast of characters is with a running time just shy of three hours, almost everyone but Kyle is underused. Andy Serkis gets very little screen time, and you will absolutely be wanting more of Dano’s Penguin.
Video
The Batman is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The ultra-high-definition image presentation is arrived at with an HEVC codec at an average of 55-60 mbps. The original soot was achieved using both 4.5K and 6K camera settings. The digital intermediate was full 4K, so this is not the common upconvert. While film could have added a nice grain element to the film noir atmosphere, there’s still plenty to be found with this transfer. HDR allows those wonderful shadows to live in brilliant contrast and also deep layers of shadow definition. You still get some nice bright light contrast, particularly car headlights and the famous Bat Signal. Gotham City has always been one of those distinct mixes between 30’s and 40’s look with modern technology living comfortably in the same space. We feel it’s now, but it’s not quite the now we understand. If only Tim Burton had the access to modern filmmaking technology. Gotham is a very detailed and nuanced space. Those shadow definitions also apply to a guy with a black cape and cowl who thrives in the shadows ,and that’s equally true for the Selina Kyle character. There are some bright moments that stand out, and her pink wig from one scene is a perfect example. It’s all style and atmosphere that can only truly be realized in 4K. The Blu-ray looks nice, but it doesn’t come close to what you get here. The detail is most notable when you look at that great makeup job on The Penguin. This is some of the best practical makeup work I’ve ever seen, and it holds up well to this level of resolution.
Audio
The Dolby Atmos unfolds into a nice 7.1 track. The audio presentation is not near as aggressive as you usually expect from a comic film. Don’t get me wrong; there are explosive scenes that come completely alive and will fill your space to the brim. But this is a highly nuanced score and audio presentation that has plenty of quiet moments. It all blends beautifully with the image’s atmosphere and serves the purpose well. Dialog comes through just fine. Music cues are often well in the background and perfectly placed in your audio space. The subs come alive whenever called upon. It doesn’t matter if it’s the roar of motorcycles, the Batmobile, or a flood of angry ocean invading a city. The action scenes are immersive, but so are all of those quiet moments. You don’t want there to be outside distractions here. This is a film that must be allowed to completely control your listening space.
Special Features
There are three discs in this release. The UHD (4K) disc contains just the film so the entire 100 gigs can be dedicated to the film. You get a Blu-ray that also contains just the film and finally a Blu-ray with about three hours of bonus features.
Looking For Vengeance: (4:57) We get a look at the training required for the film along with some action conceptual art and insights about the film’s overall style.
The Batman Genesis: (6:09) Reeves discusses the process he went through in creating this version of Batman. He gives us those pieces he took from a deep dive into the early comics along with some audition footage for Zoe Kravitz. We finally get an idea how music and makeup completed the vision for them.
Vengeance Meets Justice: (8:04) This feature is one of those old compare-and-contrast exorcises that deal with Batman and The Riddler. Of course, Batman represents vengeance here, while Dano’s Riddler represents a twisted kind of justice. Both actors join the cast and crew material to give us an idea how they see these characters.
Becoming Catwoman: (8:36) This is a pretty complete character/actress profile with the usual love-fest stuff from cast and crew for Kravitz, but you also get some insightful behind-the-scenes elements so that you walk away really understanding this pre-Catwoman character along with the elements around her to bring the character to life in a way we haven’t seen on the screen before.
The Batmobile: (10:51) What Batman film would be complete without the iconic car? Whenever there is a new Batman project announced, the speculation on the car design is just as hot as the actor chosen to play the character, and, of course the suit design. This version is pretty much a modified muscle car that is intended to look like Bruce could have made it in his cave. We see them design and build the cars, and there’s a lot of road test footage as they tweaked the car before filming.
Anatomy Of A Car Chase: (6:08) This is a scene breakdown of the Penguin/Batman car chase.
Anatomy Of The Wingsuit Jump: (6:29) In a rather James Bond-like scene, Batman jumps from the bat signal roof to avoid being arrested or shot by the cops, and he transforms his suit into one of those glider wingsuits. You get a breakdown of all of the elements that went into that scene.
Vengeance In The Making: (53:41) This is the “real” making-of feature which is rather oddly placed in the middle of the features. I like that there’s plenty of raw behind-the-scenes footage that doesn’t always require narration. It’s also part production diary that takes us through several specific days in the production. The feature addresses the six-month break for COVID and how it impacted the work once they returned. Like most of the features, Matt Reeves is the dominant voice.
Unpacking The Icons: (5:47) This feature looks at the four main characters through costume and props.
A Transformation – The Penguin: (7:59) Colin Farrell is completely hidden in this incredible makeup, so it’s certainly deserving of its own feature. You get a really intimate look into how it was designed and put on the actor. It gave Farrell a new personality just wearing this stuff. It’s truly amazing.
Deleted Scenes: (7:47) There are two with a handy play-all option and an optional commentary by Matt Reeves. The longest is a scene with The Joker that gives you a much better look and was once actually a part of the film’s narrative.
Final Thoughts:
Action is not the central theme of the film. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some memorable moments. There is a rather sweet car chase involving the Batmobile, mostly a muscle/stock car hybrid. It ends in a rather cool stunt, but these moments are really not what this film is about. The film is about atmosphere and the shadows where Batman has thrived for nearly a century. The Riddler isn’t the over-the-top, frantic guy we’re used to seeing. He’s Hannibal Lecter, and there isn’t anything amusing about this character at all. Forget the green suits and the prancing about with a cane. This Riddler is a trap-door spider waiting to pounce. This is like no Batman film you’ve ever seen, and it will be interesting to see how it fits into the DCU going forward. There’s a surprise ending that I certainly won’t spoil for you. Let’s just say, “Things just got complicated.”
