Sin ✊🏿’s review published on Letterboxd:
Bro...
Ok, yeah, this movie isn't The Greatest Thing Ever.™️ Even so, by my lights, it does offer a few "bests" when it comes to Batman movies.
⭐ It E A S I L Y offers the best depiction of the Batman character that I have ever seen in a live action movie. He's damaged and dispassionate and obsessive and rageful but has a whisper of humanity that prevents him from going "over the edge." He's exceptionally clever but fallible. He's aggressive but also calculating. He actively (and consistently) uses his keen detective skills - finally!
⭐ It offers the best depiction of Gotham, a "lost" city that's absent hope and engulfed in cynicism and corruption. You feel, smell, and taste the grim realism that suffocates the city.
⭐ It offers the best action/fight choreography grounded in realism (within reason). Unlike the Nolan trilogy, there's no need for clever, choppy editing to hide incompetently directed action choreography. Here, we get to actually witness well-made fighting sequences that highlight a Batman who's a brutal and highly trained combatant. And I especially appreciate the more realistic approach. Batman isn't some invulnerable, unbeatable god. He gets knocked around. He gets hurt. He can't "do it all."
So yeah, I loved this. Loved the direction and cinematography. Loved the solid and convincing performances. Loved the haunting score (which is currently stuck in my head). Loved how it was infused with horror-noir vibes. I really dug the story and how the narrative unfurls.
While it isn't flawless, The Batman absolutely succeeds as a gritty, brooding, and hella engrossing crime thriller. I'm fully sated.
