Ivica_Pusticki’s review published on Letterboxd:
From the moment the first trailer for this film came out, THE BATMAN became my most anticipated movie of 2022!! So yeah, I had high hopes for this movie...and high expectations! And I never really doubted Pattinson, because over the years he has proved himself to be much, much more than just "a pretty sparkling guy from those TWILIGHT movies.
But you never know with these type of movies, or any movie to be precisely honest. The trailers are one thing and the final product is another, and you don’t know what you’re going to get until you watch it. Hype and high expectations can often lead to disappointment...
So when this was finally released, and received all the praise from the critics and the audience, I was so glad for that...even if I didn’t like the movie!
But I DID!
Personally, I loved THE BATMAN! I loved the look of the movie, I loved the tone of the movie, and almost everything else! It had the best from both worlds...from Burton and Nolan movies. It had that dark and gritty gothic look of Burton movies...yet, it also had that realistic real-world vibe from Nolan’s films, with a pinch of Fincher's atmosphere from SE7EN and ZODIAC...
This next thing I will write may shock some, and many will find my statement controversial...but in my opinion, THE BATMAN has succeeded in what THE DARK KNIGHT didn't, but desperately wanted!
Those who really know me, know that I was never really a big fan of THE DARK KNIGHT! I LOVE BATMAN BEGINS, and in my opinion, that's the only REAL Batman movie in Nolan's trilogy. THE DARK KNIGHT on the other hand isn't really a Batman movie, and Nolan demystified Batman too much in that film, and it turned him into a supporting character in his own movie!
Yeah, Batman is a detective, he cooperates with the police sometimes, but he is also a mysterious menacing "creature" from the shadows...a "creature" that criminals fear! Batman wasn’t that in THE DARK KNIGHT. He just wasn't as mysterious or menacing as he was in BATMAN BEGINS.
But in this movie...Batman is THE BATMAN. He is a detective, but he is also "creature" from the shadows...he is the shadows...he is vengeance! Everybody fear him...criminals, and the police...his appearance makes them uncomfortable...
He is also a fucked up human being...one the verge of becoming a psycho. Bruce Wayne is a loner, emotionally unstable and deprived individual...he is obsessed with his Batman project, and that's all he does in life. He yet has to become the famous playboy we all know...
And his Batman is cold and angry. Damn, this has to be one of the angriest versions of Batman on film ever, and Pattison does so much with just his eyes and mouth. The scene when he confronts the Riddler, thinking that he knows his true identity...oh man, so much intensity and fear in his eyes!
Plus, this movie also has one of the best and coolest Batman entrances on screen ever...and definitely the best introduction of a Batmobile ever! MY GOD!! When he turned on that beast of a car, I got a boner! FUCK!!
But anyway...Pattinson was awesome as Batman, and good as Bruce, although he didn't have many scenes in this film as Bruce. But the rest of the crew is also great.
Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman is really good...she's hot, but she also has a badass attitude, and after Michelle Pfeiffer, she is probably the best onscreen Catwoman! I was never a fan of Anne Hathaway and her Catwoman. She was just so bland in that role...
Paul Dano is perfect at playing lunatic...and his Riddler is that...a lunatic! Although, there is little difference between Riddler and Batman, and basically they both have the same goal, and I just loved the moment when Batman realizes he has inspired many in a completely wrong way, creating even more lunatics...and that he should do things differently.
And than there's Colin Farrell! The guy has completely disappeared in the role of the Penguin...literally and fugitively! His performance, and his make up...perfect combination!
Now...if I have to nitpick about something, and I do have some small problems with this movie...well, that would be Alfred. I mean, Serkis was fine in that role, and the character was OK, but Alfred's relationship with Bruce...I dunno, something was missing if you ask me. At one point they tried to emphasize that father-son relationship between Bruce and Alfred, but I didn’t feel that vibe.
Also...although the movie wasn't boring for a second, I think it could have been a little shorter...at least half an hour shorter. I don’t think the story would suffer because of that, and the rhythm of the movie would be faster and tighter...
But yeah...that's it about THE BATMAN from me. I'll probably think of something else I wanted to mention...but let's leave that for a re-watch and new log. For now, I will just say that THE BATMAN is one of my favorite Batman movies! This definitely goes into my TOP 3 Batman movies, next to both Burton movies and BATMAN BEGINS...
