Taking new turns, that is how this movie can be best described. The Batman, featuring the sixth live-action Batman actor (Robert Pattinson) since 1989, brings a new, dark, and grounded approach to Batman that is only reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. However, this movie is different in its approach.
This movie sees Batman in his second year of being the World’s Greatest Detective, a concept and title heavily featured throughout the film. However, regardless of the two year’s experience, what Batman hasn’t had to do is work with others. In this film, a serial killer, that being the Riddler (Paul Dano), terrorizes the city of Gotham leaving behind clues with the bodies of his victims for Batman to find. Throughout the investigation of who the Riddler is, Batman has to align with the likes of Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), Selina Kyle, or better known as Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), the insidious Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
Within the first week of release, the film, running on a budget of around $200 million, managed to snag and reel in $134 million domestically, and $258 million worldwide. The film is forecasted to need roughly 2-2.5 times the budget to reach the breakeven point. Regardless of initial success, the second, of the planned trilogy, is already in development with one of the producers, Dylan Clark saying it will be less than five years for the sequel.
Although the run time is 2 hours and 56 minutes, the film is ripe with intense action scenes throughout, the inclusion of the new muscular Batmobile, and most importantly, the featuring of Batman as a detective, something that has yet to be previously done well. Personally, the featured version of Batman and Bruce Wayne are refreshing takes not yet done which I quite enjoyed. From the new Batmobile to the new batman suit, from the great action scenes throughout to the great cinematography from Greig Fraser, The Batman is a movie that, despite the undertones, everyone who has enjoyed a version of Batman should see.