The Batman Who Disappears

Film: The Batman

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Colin Farrell

Director: Matt Reeves

Some time over his history Batman got the epithet The World’s Greatest Detective. A lot of comic-book storylines do talk about that, but other than The Long Halloween, very few of them actually involve him using the grey cells to any ‘great’ levels. Definitely not in the way a certain Knighted gentleman answering to the name Arthur defined ‘greatest detective’. The movies were mostly set pieces of action and spectacle. Matt Reeves, though, doesn’t want to give up without a fight.

An election is looming in Gotham. Incumbent mayor Don Mitchell (Rupert Perry-Jones) and challenger Bella Real (Jayme Lawson) are going hammer and tongs at each other. Just then there is a high-profile murder. And then another. And then yet another. Lieutenant James Gordon (Wright) and his brother-in-arms, the masked vigilante Batman (Pattinson) try to make sense of the serial murders. Each of the killings have a message addressed to the Batman and it contains riddles. Who is this Riddler and what is his agenda? How is he connected to Gotham’s mob bosses Carmine Falcone (Turturro) and Oswald Cobblepot (Farrell)? And why is nightclub hostess Selina Kyle (Kravitz) dressing up in black and going around on a fast bike?  

The origin story in a movie is a dreaded spectacle for anyone who already knows it. Matt Reeves completely eschews it. The Batman is already entrenched in Gotham. People know about him and have opinions about his actions. Right at the beginning there is a scene that is classic misdirection. You think you recognize what is going on because you have seen it many times before in slightly different versions of the origin story. Then you realise it is something totally different. 

The major bone I have to pick with the movie is its casting. John Turturro is a great actor, but one is not going to get a sense of dread when he is around. Why would you cast Colin Farrell in your movie if you were going to hide him under prosthetics? Moving towards a younger Alfred is welcome, but nothing Andy Serkis does convinces you that he is good at being a butler! 

Then you have the decent performances. Jeffrey Wright and Peter Sarsgaard do their roles justice. They are pros, after all. The main villain also acquits himself well. What is with the name Zoe in Hollywood and the increase in temperature? Ms Kravitz does not reach Ms Saldana’s levels of smouldering heat, but that is probably because her role is likely to be expanded only in the sequels. 

Robert Pattinson will always be the pale vampire from the Twilight movies. Some things cannot be changed. But if you were to check out his filmography after the series that made him, you will see that every single film he did after that was an intentional journey to the unknown territory. He had no ego about playing second or third fiddle. The directors he has worked with include some bona fide geniuses of the medium. When he was announced as the next Dark Knight, the internet exploded. This was just to get teen girls to buy tickets, they said. Batman can’t be pretty, they claimed. It will take years to wipe the memory of RPatz in the cowl, they moaned.

That last one is absolutely right. It will take some doing to get him out of your minds. Because Robert Pattinson absolutely owns it. He is here to stay. But the way he does it is what is most impressive. Along with director Matt Reeves and writer Peter Craig, he has created a Batman who disappears. Into the story. You could literally remove Batman from the story and replace him with any other character and it would work just as well. This is the first Batman who doesn’t stand out in his movie. This is also the best Batman story on screen, bar none.

Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne does not wisecrack or pretend to womanise. He is deeply troubled, but that is not his defining trait. He knows how to fight, but there are neither martial arts manoeuvres, nor raw power, just street brawling. His suit is uncomplicated and his shoes are heavy weather. What he does is try to solve the mystery before it is too late. He is detective first; superhero, maybe never. 

There is a very 80s aesthetic about the movie. If it were not for a few mobile phones, you would have definitely thought so. The no-frills all-business Batmobile is another throwback. Call out to Warner Bros for not insisting on 3D. The movie is so dark that you probably would have needed night-vision goggles along with 3D glasses. I am a huge admirer of what Christopher Nolan achieved with his trilogy, but next to The Batman, his movies seem like expensive set pieces one after the other. This one is down and really dirty.

There are multiple twists at the end. Maybe a couple too many. This led to the three-hour runtime. Something your bladder and my back has issues with. The climax seems a bit contrived. But it ends up serving the story. There are no smart quips or bombastic speeches. The Batman never seems bloated despite its running length. It is muscular without defined muscles. It takes its time, but is never boring. It lacks set pieces, but the action doesn’t lack imagination. It has a story to tell, and all the weight behind comics’ most admired intellectual property will not prevent the story from being said. 

This is how you make a Batman movie. Oh, hell, yeah!