The Batman - Gotham's Caped Crusader Flies Again...
Since his debut in Detective Comics #27, Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s chiropteran (apparently that means ‘bat like’, you learn something new every day) superhero has been a source of TV and film gold.
Those of us of a certain age grew up with the ‘POW!’s, ‘CLANK!’s and BAM!’s of Adam West’s lampoonery. Running for 120 episodes (1966 – 1968), West’s Batman and Burt Ward’s Robin battled a seemingly endless catalogue of Gotham comic evil, including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman and of course, The Riddler.
A true cultural phenomenon. Even thirty years later (1996) it was responsible for the highlight of most people’s Christmas Day.
Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) didn’t take itself too seriously either. To many fans dismay, Burton even cast a comic actor in the leading role. They needn’t have worried. Michael Keaton’s dark and brooding Batman versus Jack Nicholson’s (very expensive) Joker would set the mould for modern day superhero films and (at the time) become the fifth highest grossing film of all time.
After three sequels and twenty years of attempted reboots, Christopher Nolan’s Batman (2005 – 2012) would take an even darker tone, with a very human Bruce Wayne behind the mask.
Relying on traditional ‘old school’ film-making, limited CGI and incredible performances by Christian Bale, The Dark Knight trilogy would become one of the highest grossing and most critically acclaimed trilogies in cinema history.
Follow that.
DC’s Extended Universe tried to, with Ben Affleck picking up the keys to the Batmobile. Perhaps lacking the vision of a ‘Kevin Feige like’ architect, the DCEU has failed to match the seemingly unstoppable momentum of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.
And so, in March 2022, we find ourselves with a new Batman. Younger and outside of the DCEU.
Robert Pattinson in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman is in his early thirties, vulnerable and far from the fully formed crime-fighter. Struggling to cope with his traumatic past, Bruce Wayne is a vengeful and flawed vigilante with a skewed sense of self.
Robert Pattinson in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman is a waitress, drug dealer and cat burglar who challenges Wayne’s traditional views of right and wrong.
Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
But from the early showings, it is apparently Paul Dano’s Riddler who steals the show. A serial-killer for our time with a flair for the dramatic, he live-streams his crimes and bamboozles Gotham’s law-enforcers with cryptic codes and puzzles.
Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / The Riddler in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
It is a brave film-maker who follows Nolan’s era-defining trilogy, but, if the reviews are indicative, Matt Reeves has managed it with aplomb. Another two films are planned. Bring them on!
"The Batman is a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves." ign.com
Oh, and this really is Colin Farrell as The Penguin – amazing!
Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “The Batman,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
The Batman flies on to the big screen on 4th March 2022.
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You can find all of the movie posters we have for the film here.
Adam and the Art of the Movies team.
