THE BATMAN - A Man of Hope from Darkness

Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. World's Greatest Detective. Some may prefer Bruce Wayne too. We all know him by many names. But I'd like to call him my unlikely ally.

I don't want to call this a review of the latest iteration of the dark knight. I knew I'd always write about Batman as a character and how he impacted me as a being. It was just a question of me coming around to writing that. And with this film, I found the inspiration to write. So let's say that this will be split into (i) a Character Study and (ii) Review.

CHARACTER STUDY

It's crazy how quick time flies by. Snap! There goes another second. Snap! There, another. It was around the winter of 2010. I was in a newly opened mall with my parents, scouring through the place to find a shop, any shop, that was of interest to me. I stumbled upon a bookshop with the comic book section at its front. That was when I laid my hands on an updated copy of "Batman: Year One". Something about the man dressed like a bat in a red backdrop spoke to me. And that was just the front cover. It was the hardback issue and was priced a little too high and I had to literally beg my parents to buy me that book. And so did they. That was my first experience into the world of Gotham and thus began my journey into DC and Marvel comics. I joined the library in which my dad was a member with the sole mission of reading as many graphic novels as humanly possible to read through the weekends.

I read lots of different characters- lots of the Big Blue Boy Scout (a.k.a Superman), lots more about group of super-powered misfits joining hands to defeat one huge, red-eyed alien with a God Complex (a.k.a Justice League series), and many more. But none spoke to me as much as the tall, brooding man in a huge mansion, with just a very trustworthy butler for a father figure, dressing up like a bat at nights to fight lowlife thugs on the streets of Gotham, to compensate for the excruciating pain of losing his parents to one such thug when he was just a little kid.

Now, make no assumption. I have the best darn parents on this whole world. At least, I'd like to think so. It was not just this emotional aspect of Batman that made me want to know more of him. It was the way he thought and the way he used his brawn and combining these two to form a deadly amalgam to fight criminals, ranging from street thugs, to clowns and to literal supernatural and extraterrestrial threats. But the most important aspect of Batman that made me so attached to him in the first place was Bruce Wayne. In a world with aliens, wonder women, speedsters and gods, Bruce was just an ordinary man who trained himself physically and tactically for years, in order to become who he became in the years to come. Now, granted that he IS a very rich, I mean, VERY rich man. But not every rich man with a traumatic past as Bruce trains themselves to become the world's Greatest Detective now, do they? It was this human aspect of it, that anyone could be Batman, the guy that sat next to me in my class, the man that jogs on the road, or even ME. All we need is just pure dedication towards our goal and work towards that- that's what Bruce Wayne taught me. When I was young, he was my companion. He taught me how cool you can be, while the Batman taught me how cruel life can be. But they both taught me that nothing can break your mind, body & soul, if you focus your energy on building yourself.

Since then, I have read lots of Batman graphic novels and have seen countless movies about him (live-action and animated). The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Earth One, The Laughing Joke, and The Court of Owls are probably my most favorite Batman stories, alongside Year One. And for a long time, my most favorite live-action Batman film was The Dark Knight Rises. That's probably an unpopular opinion, considering it's predecessor, the Dark Knight, is one of the most perfect Batman films of all time for many. But, the way Bruce came back stronger when Bane literally broke his back impacted me more than the twisted mind-games shown in TDK. One of my all-time favorite scenes is when Bruce is ready to make the jump without the rope (if you know, you know), the bats come out of the darkness, guiding him to the above ground. Everytime I felt some form a rejection, I would quickly run to that scene. With the luscious score of the great Hans Zimmer looming in the back, that has got to best portrayal of how a man can rise back to the top even when he falls. I loved Zack Snyder's films too. I supported him and his work devotedly even when people dragged his world through the mud. Ben Affleck's Batman was a much grittier, darker and rejected man, whose moral compass is as skewed as ever. If the Dark Knight Rises was my favorite Batman film, Batfleck was my favorite portrayal of Batman. Still are. But I think those would change in the years to come, through Matt Reeves and Robert Partinson.

THE BATMAN - REVIEW

Enter The Batman. The road to it has not been an easy one. It was filled with doubt, corporate disasters, myopic businessmen tarnishing the vision of the director, so on and so forth. But when it was announced that Matt Reeves would be helming the new iteration of Batman and that it would star Robert Partinson, I was both excited and scared. Excited because, I had seen the movies of Matt Reeves (especially the Planet of The Apes Trilogy) and the recent works of Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse, Good Time). Scared because of the backlash they might receive from the aforementioned myopic executives which would ultimately not allow Reeves to achieve his vision. I've to say, in the end, I was neither excited nor scared, but surprised with the film. I don't know where to begin.

Let's start with Gotham. The city felt like a character, so humane. It breathed in and out despair. A dark desolate city devoid of any real change and positivity, with scum needing to be cleansed out of what could be brighter world for its inhabitants. Undoubtedly, the cinematography and the camera work had a lot to do with this. With the right tone and color- that of red, black and dark blue, every frame seemed to have been lifted straight from the pages of the comics. Matt Reeves has done a phenomenal job in giving a new take on what has been seen many times before. I mean, Batman has been a part of the entertainment spectrum for more than 70 years. It is more than fairly evident that Reeves is a master in his craft and a wonderful storyteller, and finally- a man who is a passionate fan. With a staggering 3-hour runtime, it does exactly give you everything you would've wanted to see Batman do. This is not a Bruce Wayne film, it's that of Batman. And the neo-noir style suits this film's story beautifully. For a film with few colors that are prominent, they were carefully used so as to give an ultimate hard-boiled detective tale.

Speaking of the titular character, this is a very reflective performance from Robert Pattinson. I was so happy seeing him don the persona of Batman throughout the film literally. I mean, the title of the film is what we get 90% of the time- it's the Caped Crusader either solving a mystery or punching the life out of criminals. The way Pattinson was able to act just with his eyes, was just pure brilliance. I've always known him to be a phenomenal actor and this movie only strengthens that. There are sequences where he is almost teary eyed and emotional, and you're able to feel that despite the mask that he wears.

Also, I loved the fact that there is no distinction between Bruce and the Bat- they are one and the same. Many may not like that choice but personally, I think it was a great idea to build upon, since this is based on epic comic storylines such as "Batman: Year One" and "Batman: Earth One", wherein we see Bruce no longer embracing the human side of his job, but slowly learns to let his guard down and ask for help when needed, and this sets in motion a series of events that make him realize that there are places the Bat can't go, but Bruce can. That's the direction they were taking and I was enthralled to see that this was not something we have seen with the live-action iterations of Batman yet. Also, there were some interesting character choices that were made too. For instance, we see Bruce not accustomed to sunlight at all, that he wears shades in the morning. He is literally an "emo kid" so to speak, and they hit that home real hard. He has issues making small talk with people and hence, chooses not to socialize at all, as opposed to the playboy persona we've come to see Bruce put on, when he comes out. I think that this was quite realistic because when you think about it, you won't really see rich people leave their fortresses to do regular tasks that we normally do, such as buying the groceries, or riding their car on their own. This gave Bruce Wayne almost a mythical quality. This would be in contrast to the "Batman" we see because, even though we are shown that the character strikes fear in the hearts of the people of Gotham at night, he still is not taken as seriously as he wishes to be, since he is fairly young in his career of being a vigilante. This shows that he still has a long way to go.

The supporting cast was a stellar set of actors bringing their absolute best to the plate. Andy Serkis' Alfred was, yet again, a very different take on what we've seen, but is lifted right from the above-mentioned comics. This was a father figure Bruce didn't care for but never knew he needed, only to realize that he loved Alfred so much more than cared to show. We see how much Alfred cares for Bruce and also about preserving the Wayne Legacy. My only qualm is that we didn't get enough of Alfred on screen, which felt like a choice that was made deliberately. But, it's the relationship between Bruce & Alfred that sets the tone for this entire movie. I can even go so far as to say that their relationship is the heart & soul of the film.

Zoë Kravitz did a fantastic job of brining Seline Kyle to life. It was interesting because, all these characters are at the beginning of their journey and Zoe was not catwoman so to speak, but is in the path to become that, as we are shown that she is already indulging in the Robin Hood-esque escapades. The Bat & the Cat had great chemistry and it actually felt real and so palpable, which is crazy because, whenever they are on screen, it's either them fighting each other or just solving mysteries together. There's already a full plate in the hands of Batman, and still, we get to witness what could happen if Bruce chooses to walk away from his double-life in order to pursue a normal life with Selina. It's the fact that he knows this but still chooses to not take that road since he thinks Gotham needs him more now than ever.

John Turturro's take on Carmine Falcone was very nuanced and a little divergent from what we know of the character. This is not a man who is that muscular hunk shown in the comic panels, but is that of a man who has had a very close connection to the Waynes and Bruce despises this because he has always known Falcone to be a despicable human, even before he became who he is now. Falcone was given so much more prominence than I had anticipated. And I mean that in a good light because, you were able to see some respect in the otherwise shell of a man that is Falcone. His portions of the film were almost like a homage to classic Scorsese gangster films. Colin Farrell was astounding as the Penguin for a myriad of reasons- firstly, you couldn't see Farrell in there at all! The prosthetics were made with such care that you really cannot see Farrell but just the Penguin. "But, hey! That's not a point for Farrell" is what you're probably thinking. Let me tell you, the man has had so much fun playing the Penguin and it oozes out of the screen to us. Everytime when he's on screen, you can really tell Colin giving his all to the character. Which is crazy for a guy who is nicknamed "The Penguin" because, it would've been so much easier to go over the top, like the last time we saw the Penguin on the silver screen (played by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns back in 1992, which was well suited for that film). But Farrell was able to balance over that fine line. I can't wait to watch more of him down the line.

Another riveting performance comes from Jeffrey Wright through his Lt. Jim Gordon. Like I had mentioned above, he is in the beginning stages of his career and is not yet commissioner and is doing whatever he can do to remain the single most pure cop in the hell hole that is Gotham. Wright's portrayal is of a man at his wit's end who has turned to a vigilante for a partner to solve crimes not by choice but by lack thereof. Everyone surrounding Jim is either already corrupt or in the process of being. I loved the duo of Batman-Jim Gordon here. Even though Jim sees the same darkness that the Bat sees, he chooses to believe there is some good left in the world. And I even cracked up in some places when Jim literally asks the Batman to chill out and take his brooding down a notch.

Finally, Paul Dano. Man. What an actor! I've been following his work since Prisoners (2013). It was such a compelling performance that was given by him to bring this version of the Riddler to life. This was an ode of sorts to real-life serial killers such as the Zodiac, BTK, etc. and a page out of David Fincher's killer films (no pun intended) such as Seven & Zodiac. Paul Dano had very little time showing his face in this film since he was almost always masked. Yet, he was able to give a performance of a lifetime. In a way, this was the Riddler's movie in which Batman participated to bring his riddles to life, even if he didn't want to. The schemes that he plotted and the way he used social media to get his message across were all very twisted. What was more disturbing was the fact that the Riddler doing these horrid things in the name of justice. Yet, there's a human reason to why he does what he does (I don't want to spoil that) and even though you don't want to see his point, you can't help but agree on certain matters he brings light to. There is a jail scene between him and the Bat in which, I witnessed some of the best acting I've scene. Paul Dano is a man we have to look out for, in the future.

The music for this film was scored by Michael Giacchino (Doctor Strange, Ratatouille, Planet of The Apes, Up, among others). His was a very different take on the Batman score. He found a way to strike a chord between Danny Elfman's Batman score and that of the score for the Dark Knight Trilogy by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard. The score was filled luscious strings, with lumbering bass and horns getting progressively louder in a crescendo with grandiose. Yet, there's an element of sadness that you get when you listen to the entire Batman Theme, especially when you get to the second half. As if to juxtapose the first half, there are emotional strings speaking to us about how, even though Bruce is the Bat, he is still just a kid who lost his parents and is coping up with that in whatever way possible. Giacchino mostly made use of live instruments in contrast to hybrid sounds, which you seldom hear in his score for the film. Electronic sounds reverberate way on the behind, just to add enough color to the already moving score.

Further, the use of Nirvana's Something In The Way was a great choice, considering this version of Bruce is fairly young and is still raging on the inside, whilst posing a calm attitude on the outside. And that nail is hit home harder with Kurt Cobain's solemn voice.

One of the main pillars of the film comes from the hands of Greig Fraser, who has done a remarkable job. Every single frame, if you freeze the movie, looks as though they were painted. Which is appropriate, considering that this is a film based on comic books. Even though the film takes place mostly at night, there is surprising amount of color to it. And the stunts in this film were just top notch. There is a chase scene involving the Penguin and the Bat (not a spoiler, as shots of it were shown in the trailers too). It takes place for a good amount of time and it's got to be one of my most favorite stunt sequences of all time. The Foley design deserves special applause because, it was meticulously made to give us the audience maximum impact in some high-octane scenes. Given that Matt Reeves is a very visual director (as established through his previous works), he has made use of sound design & foley in a very effective manner.

You may wonder how could this film be perfect, because nothing is. I always say that there cannot be any piece of human art that is perfect and that's completely fine because, those imperfections give life to said art. The film is a little too long and some may find it to be quite self-indulgent. I could argue in favor of both, but then again, it's subjective to everyone. For me, the film was paced right and took time in the first hour to establish the world we are going to get into later hours. And there is a specific scene at the end involving a particular person from the Bat's Rogue gallery, which some may see as not needed. For me, it simply was a way to show that Bat still has long life to make Gotham a better place. And that's where this film left me- in a better & happier place.

-Pranav