Directed by Matt Reeves
Written by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig, Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Starring Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Zoë Kravitz, and Colin Farrell
Running time 2 hours and 55 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, drug content, strong disturbing content, strong language and strong violent content
In theaters March 4

by Ryan Silberstein, The Red Herring and Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension rife with corruption and crime. A journey into a shadowy land of darkness. These are the uncovered diaries from a city that is returning from a path to destruction. Next stop— GOTHAM.

Diary Entry: February 17, 2017

It has not even been twelve months since the release of the previous film with Batman as a title character, and exactly three months since the most recent film starring Batman was released in theaters as of today. Warner Brothers has announced Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War for the Planet of the Apes) as the director of the next Batman film, likely starring Ben Affleck. I will watch and wait to see what comes from an older Batman, like Dark Knight Returns. Time is a bat circle. –Ryan

Diary Entry: May 31, 2019

Matt Reeves has finished the script, Affleck is not reprising his role, so they will cast a new Batman. This will be the 6th actor to wear the Batsuit in a movie made during my lifetime. One of the things I love about Batman is that he is such a malleable character. I grew up watching Adam West in the 1966 movie on VHS, then the 1990s films and The Animated Series before the Nolan trilogy and Affleck. All of these are valid interpretations of the character, along with the comics, of course. Batman can be dark and brooding, but he can also be pop art, camp, and everything in between. The worst live action movie with Batman was Suicide Squad, and even that is kind of watchable. The Dark Knight Rises and the 1966 are my favorites up to this point, but I like the Zack Snyder/Affleck stuff better than most. I basically share the ethos behind The Lego Batman Movie when it celebrates every other incarnation of the character. Going into any new Batman, I am always hopeful. Helping here is that I really like what I’ve seen of Matt Reeves’ work, and his two Apes films are thoughtful in the ways they engage with the ideas in the older films, but come at them from a very contemporary perspective. 

Additionally, we’ve gotten so many Batmen on screen at this point that it’s hard for me to get excited about one individually, which also means my expectations are lower. But not in a bad way. If anything, I am more open to the idea of what a Batman movie can be, and the things that I enjoy about them aren’t tied to getting the Platonic Batman movie that brings to life everything I enjoy about the character.  They just announced that Reeves’ Batman will be Robert Pattinson. I’ve enjoyed him since the Twilight days, and his other work, like Cosmopolis and The Lost City of Z, have shown him to be a versatile actor. I think he will be a great choice. –Ryan

Diary Entry: November 11, 2019

For me, this bat news really did not start to get interesting until today.

Paul Dano being announced as playing The Riddler has more than piqued my interest. This guy is always ready to come in with the weird. Dano seems to be selective with his work, so if the script was good enough for him this may shape up to be our best visit to Gotham yet. Not only this, but there is also the addition of Colin Farrell. I’m very interested to see what he will bring to the Pengy character. As a resident of Gotham, I believe he has big shoes to fill after witnessing Robin Lord Taylor’s rendition in the now defunct Gotham television series.

As for Andy Serkis, Zoë Kravitz and Jeffrey Wright also joining the cast… well that’s just icing on the cake.
-Kicks

Diary Entry: August 22, 2020

After witnessing the teaser trailer, I have to wonder was The Batman specifically made for me?

Hearing Nirvana’s “Something in The Way” has me thrilled. I love grunge especially when it gets all emo. My current playlist is essentially “Dad Mix”. No literally, it is:

By hearing Nirvana in the teaser and seeing Pattinson in the suit, this is all adding up to us finally getting a broody emo Batman and I am totally here for it. -Kicks

Diary Entry: January 22, 2022

Listening to Michael Giachinno’s theme for The Batman right now. A frequent collaborator with Reeves, it wasn’t a huge surprise when he was announced, and I was maybe the most excited about this aspect of the movie. Giacchino has been one of my favorite score composers since his first film work on The Incredibles in 2004. He’s proven to be versatile with his music, and most of his scores seem to suit the vision of the directors he works with, rather than using a lot of the same kinds of sounds over and over (looking in Mr. Zimmer’s direction). Giacchino has compared working with Reeves on The Batman to that of working on a new Batman comic or graphic novel. New writers and artists come into the world of Batman, emphasizing what they find interesting or exciting about the character while honoring what has come before. And this theme certainly echoes some previous Batman music, feeling familiar while also emphasizing some goth(ic) elements as well. This is the most excited I’ve been for this movie so far. –Ryan

Diary Entry: February 24, 2022

Just got out of The Batman. From the opening scene, the film subverted a lot of my expectations for what to expect from a Batman movie. Opening on Halloween, a night of masks, suggesting we are about to see the Waynes killed again, but no. Batman is already in his second year of his caped crusade in Gotham. Matt Reeves' choice to use The Riddler (Paul Dano) immediately makes sense. This is a Batman detective story, emphasizing that aspect of the character often overlooked in previous films. Like the Zodiac, this Riddler leaves cyphers and handwritten notes to The Batman. Unlike real life serial murderers, Riddler has a political agenda. He knows things about those in power. He knows the ways in which they are corrupt, and he exposes them when he kills them. 

Bruce Wayne could easily be one of his targets. He is from a prominent Gotham family, though he seems to be a total recluse. But as Batman, he is perceived to be on the same side as the Riddler, taking down the powerful through fear. But Batman doesn’t kill, doesn’t use guns. He and Alfred (Andy Serkis) sit at a baroque dining room table and work on the Riddler cyphers over tea. The race to uncover how a massive drug bust created Gotham’s status quo before The Riddler attacks his next victim is on. As Batman, he meets Selina (Zoë Kravitz), who works at the elite bar within The Penguin’s (Colin Farrell) Iceberg Lounge nightclub. Frequented by mobsters like Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), The Penguin keeps things on the downlow, barely feeling threatened by The Batman in his office. 

Reeves gives the whole film a noir feel. Shadows and sunsets are frequently used as backdrops for meetings between Batman and Lt. Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), giving the feel of Gotham as a city on the brink of true decline. There’s a restlessness to the entire film, and Pattinson brings this energy to his performance as well. This Batman is unsure of if he is improving the city or pushing it off the deep end. He pushes himself because he doesn’t seem to know how to do anything else. There are echoes of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne here, an obsessive recluse who seems uncomfortable around people when he is not wearing the cowl. His only soft spot seems to be other orphans, as he can see the lost child inside himself in their eyes. 

I love this aspect of the film. It strikes the right balance between Batman being a lonely tortured soul and being a hero. He’s conflicted, and the film spends a lot of time on his relationship with Selina (not quite Catwoman yet). She is also a kind of orphan, and explains that her apartment has a few cats because she is fond of strays. She sees Batman as a feral creature of the night, an outside operator for her world of nightclubs, affairs with powerful men, and the mob. What starts as a mutually beneficial arrangement evolves into a kind of romance, as they each get closer and closer to the other. She urges him not to feel sorry for rich boys. He diverts her desire to kill for revenge. They dance together and chase each other on motorcycles like kids on a playground.  –Ryan

Diary Entry: February 24, 2022

Headed into the cinema, I was four seasons deep in the Gotham television series and hands-down I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this world depicted so accurately. That was, until I watched Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

“It’s a big city, I can’t be everywhere.”

Reeves manages to deliver a script that encapsulates the dismal mood of this city so superbly that it left me wondering why anyone would live in Gotham in the first place. Gotham seems to be under an eternal black cloud keeping it trapped in the shadows of gloom. The Batman is the city’s protector. He is vengeance. However, even The Batman realizes there is only so much one can do when the corruption is seemingly endless and shows no bounds. A scary thought, making it that more much perfect having this story start on Halloween night. A night that is often known for mischief and havoc. Whereas, in Gotham, it is just like any other evening. The city does not care what date it is. The crime does not stop.

Within the first few minutes of being introduced to The Riddler, I immediately felt the tone this story was taking. This was not going to be a Gotham that was for the faint of heart. These were serious characters that were going to take us down a path of darkness. There would be grave outcomes but eventually there would also be light.

For the first time, maybe since The Animated Series, I witnessed The Batman performing the work of a detective. He was not just some brute flying through the cityscape, flinging batarangs and typing into his ‘puter. This was a methodical, brooding Batsy. One that was not just seeking his purpose but also trying to understand the motive of others as well. Reeves weaves in just enough of the backstory, but does not hit the viewer over the head with the tired story we have already witnessed countless times. It was especially pleasing to see how each of the relationships The Batman had with the key players, such as Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle, were done in such a way that gave this tired story a new beginning.

This especially rang true for the dynamics between The Batman and The Riddler. Their story enthralled me and left me with the same question The Batman had: is he even helping this city or is he indeed feeding the monster? It was not a simple tale of a hero versus a villain or good versus evil, but more of a statement as to whether they are that different at all. It shows that even the best intentions may inspire mayhem, cause heck this is Gotham. -Kicks

< ? > WARNING: SUBSEQUENT DIARY ENTRIES CONTAIN SPOILERS < ? >

Diary Entry: February 27, 2022

After sitting with The Batman for a few days, I wanted to reflect on how this movie approaches the character. While this is the third ‘dark’ iteration of the character that we’ve had in live action (the Lego incarnation makes a nice antidote to that), I enjoy that it Is aesthetically distinct. Nolan brought us a slick, corporate Batman. He was polished and smart, almost more like a spy than a superhero in that trilogy. Zack Snyder brought us an older Batman that was angry at the world, and needed friends to bring him back out into it. Reeves and Pattinson bring us a sort of homemade Batman. He feels the most like an eccentric loner billionaire since Micheal Keaton’s version of the character. But of course, Pattinson is the first Millennial Batman, and the first Batman of my life that is younger than me (by a few months). How that shapes this version of a character is a sense of nostalgia. Nevermind came out when we were 5, after all.

Our lives have been in a constant state of crisis. This Bruce Wayne spends the whole movie uncovering things about Gotham’s past. Systemic failures, but also personal failures of his parents. One thing an orphan doesn't get to do–for better or for worse–is to know their parents as they age, for their relationship to evolve from both directions. Bruce can discover more about his parents, but he can’t really hear from them about it. Both Bruce and Riddler are orphans (and Selina as well, in her own way), adrift in a world created before they came of age that they have to work to understand. In this way, given how my generation is more and more frustrated with the status quo–the government of Gotham in the movie, the fact that the median U.S. Senator is 65 years old in our world, for example–this is as relatable as a billionaire can be.

As Millennials approach the milestones of practical adulthood, buying houses, feeling stagnant at work, etc., we continue to ask ourselves about all the ways we wanted to change the world. In The Batman, The Riddler is targeting those who used a pool of money designated to help the city for their own personal gain, holding onto power at the expense of those who need help. These are stand-ins for oil executives who spread disinformation about climate change, Republicans who want to ban abortion, and all those who use power as a short-sighted way to hold others under their heel. Batman is often framed as a conservative superhero, a rich guy beating up the poor. But that’s not what a knight is. At his best, Batman is a protector of Gotham’s people. Sure he has fancy toys and a lot more free time, but he is doing his best to lift Gotham away from organized crime, corruption, and villains. The argument that Wayne could maybe do more for the city with his billions than dressing up in a costume and punching clowns feels relevant in an age of Bezos and Musk, but it misreads the fantasy element of Batman. In The Batman we see how a rumor can become a hero, and the shot of Batman leading civilians away from danger in the light of a flare is already an iconic moment in my mind, a true Dark Knight. -Ryan

Diary Entry: February 28, 2022

“You inspired me… Your mask is incredible.”

After a couple days, I recognize Gotham as my home. Sure it is not a quiet place, but is my place. I have pre-ordered my emo Batsy figurine and carpet tool wielding Riddler. I look forward for them to move into my lab. Until then, I’ll continue gathering the supplies for my new Gotham city biking attire, and listen to The Batman’s emo mixtape while contemplating my existence in my diary. -Kicks

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