Alright so we go again.
The Introduction
I would love to say that the most difficult part of writing is figuring out the introduction but that wouldn't be true cause honestly there's still writer's block and that son of a bitch looms around when you write and sometimes it's even worse than crafting an introduction. So with that being said I welcome everyone once again to another movie review/analysis post and this time instead of just analysing I would actually like to do a review today. Yes guys and this time it's a positive review not one where I just call out all the crap in a film, this time I'm actually going to talking about a film I really enjoyed and yes I know I haven't done that since I wrote about Dune. Ladies and Gentlemen today we will be appreciating Matt Reeve's iteration of the batman and why I believe this film might be the best batman film out there, maybe even better than Christopher Nolan's the Dark Knight which by the way was the best film the trilogy in my opinion. I know there are many out there who would seriously disagree with my opinion but I dare you to see film and tell me compare it with the Dark Knight from a story telling standpoint. Look! If you still need some other proof as to how good this movie is look no further than what it's made so far in the book office. It's made well over it's one hundred fifty million dollar budget and it's still showing in cinemas while it's just getting it's first week on HBO Max. It's more than likely going to cross the one billion dollar mark before the end of the ear all things considered and who knows with how popular it's become it might even be the all time highest grossing batman movie.
The Synopsis
Now that that's out of the way let me talk about the plot. The story follows Bruce Wayne two years into his hero vigilantism in Gotham City. In the wake of the violence and crime that he fights a new serial killer arises who targets top political figures in the city and who leaves clues and riddles for "the batman" to follow. It's important to note that at this time he is not known as the batman instead he calls himself vengeance and it is the serial killer who addresses him as the batman. Another thing to note is that canonically in the comics this serial killer is supposed to be the riddler but in this film, he is never called that name and he doesn't use that name. So following the death of the mayor and the cryptic messages left for the police and batman to find, our hero begins the detective journey of finding out how deep the rabbit hole goals while trying to uncover the secrets all these murders and messages lead to while trying to stop the riddler from taking his next victim. The film features some outstanding cinematography and amazing visuals while making use of truly brilliant musical scores and sound design. It's not just a batman movie shot to look like another super hero movie, instead it is well done body of work that truly seeks to get the audience completely immersed and captivated by the story and plot progression.
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Like a lot of reviewers have rightly said this isn't any batman movie, it's a true detective movie that really makes you appreciate the detective side of DC's greatest detective. I have always loved detective stories. Just about a week ago before I saw this film I watched Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile which by the way I would be doing a review on once I'm done with this therefore seeing that the Matt Reeves decided to take the murder mystery approach for this film made it all the more fulfilling for me. He clearly was motivated by films like Se7en and the Zodiac killer as the riddler's character shares a lot of similarities to the villains in both film, like the killer in Se7en he leaves clues and messages written in blood for the detectives to follow and he methodically plans to kill a select few as a means of trying to pass a message or reveal something. Alright let's get on to the reasons why this film works
Why the batman works.. I think
There are an array of reasons why this film works and it could easily be the best thing to have come of DC this year. Heck it might even be the best film they have to come even with all the future films they have planned ahead. The reason why this is, is because this film gets execution right. It doesn't try to be what it is not, it doesn't try to be larger than itself and it doesn't try to hard to get you to like it (I'm looking at you birds of prey). It simply does what it needs to do and it stays true to itself. It does this by getting the following things right
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1.Atmosphere and Tone
The batman is traditionally a melancholic character, from the comics to the character to gotham city even to the nuances surrounding the franchise it all screams melancholy. This film and the writers as well as the directors completely understood this critical element of the franchise and made sure that the mood and the atmosphere completely conveyed this feeling. Let's compare this to the Dark Knight trilogy that precided this film. The director of those movies Christopher Nolan who is one of my favourite film makers is not conventionally known for shooting dark, gritty melancholic films. Rather all the films he has found critical acclaim for are sci fi films that feature bright distinct beautiful colours that convey a different mood from what you would generally see in a melancholic mystery crime thriller. Now I'm not saying that Nolan isn't a great director far from it, in fact it's safe to say that the success of the Dark Knight is contradicts that argument. I'm rather pointing out how he is unable to capture certain elements of the batman and by that I specifically mean his melancholic detective elements of his character.
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The movie for the most part takes place at night and the darkness of night is highly contrasted with the moderate display of lights in the background. Somehow it gives us this impression that the city doesn't sleep and it is full of sin and immorality which only comes alive at night. However in the few shots of daytime we see of the city tends to give us the opposite impression of what we've come to know the city as. These details, the way colours are used to tell the story of Gotham are not really evident in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. In those films for the most part time progresses normally in a sense and the story is centrally focused on the Batman's hero journey with little focus being given to Gotham City and it's relationship to the Batman. In this film however the plot and the story heavily focus on Gotham City as an entity and the history, people and reputation of the city is what is at stake and so heavy emphasis are laid on the hypocrisy of the city as well the lies embedded in it's history.
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It is only by the end of the film that we understand how the killer is the result of the lies and hypocrisy of the city. As the batman is a result of the failure of the systems of Gotham so is the Riddler a result of the failures of those same systems, he and those who follow his cause. This is the melancholic feeling we sense all throughout the movie. It is the injustice in the air that drives each individual character's decisions. By the end of the film however the batman realises how he too is being driven by this melancholy and he chooses to let go of it and become the hero of Justice instead of the symbol of vengeance.
2.Character - Plot dynamics
Another area this film greatly excels in is in the area of character dynamics and by that I mean whether main characters are active or passive characters. A lot of times in many films there is a clear relationship between plot progression and character action. It is not always the case as we see in nature documentaries and historical biographies but many times popular genres of film showcase this distinct relationship. What this simple means is that character actions influence the plot and the plot influences character action that is why I have chosen to term it character-plot dynamics. Depending on the theme, the style and the genre of the film you can decide which type of character you want your protagonist to be whether an active one or a passive one. It is more often the case that protagonist are usually made to be active but even then not many writer can pull of writing an proper active character. This is one area of the batman where the filmmakers and the screen writers shine well.
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In this film we see how Matt Reeves really makes us follow the mystery and solve the puzzles through the Batman's point of view. Because of this he has to decipher the clues that are left behind, he has to follow the trails in order discover what all the crimes lead up to. We see this from the very first murder investigation scene which is that of the mayor. Gordon and the rest of the police are trying to make sense of the crime scene as the killer meticulously leaves clues of his motives behind the murder for the Batman. From the bloodied "LIES" he leaves at the plaqued newspaper covers detailing the biggest drug bust in Gotham's history, to the riddle card and the encrypted message it carries. The clues he leaves behind later reveal certain secrets about the highly esteemed late mayor and the deep rooted corruption that exists in the city it also leads us to the next plot point in the story. In order words it gives us an insight into the mind of the killer and we only get to discover this because of detective action of the batman.
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Looking at this first scene we see how the Batman at first is set up to look like a passive character in the sense that he is reacting to the story and he is being driven by the plot. However as we progress further we realise that he doesn't feel like a passive character. He doesn't even act like one. This is simply because he is the character from whose perspective we learn the story. This is how you make passive character active, and it's by including him into the plot in such a way that his journey into story becomes the journey of the audience into the story. The one example of this that readily comes to mind is Neo from the That Matrix. In the first Act where we see Neo he is pretty much being guided by others on what to do even though he is the protagonist of the film, however even though this makes him somewhat of a passive character he doesn't really feel like a passive character and this is because especially in the first Act we see how he engages with the story in the form of the choices that he makes.
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Even though he may be a passive protagonist, he is one who still actively chooses to go with the story and his choices in many ways greatly influence the story. This is exactly what we see happen in The Batman where Bruce actively decides to follow through with the mysteries left for him and he actively chooses to make decisions that influence the direction of the plot. His actions and choices may not be the principal driver of the plot but his actions share just as much of a consequence as the actions of the villain of the story. Before moving over to the next point a quick shout out to the other characters of the film who do a stellar job of portraying the melancholy of the film. From how the penguin moves and lives to the calm suavy cruel nature of Carmine Falcone even the sleakines of the Catwoman all of them truly leave their mark on this film.
3.The plot, story line and other components I forgot to mention.
In the last two points I made I've talked just a little on the plot and why it stands out but here I'll try to talk at length about it. The plot as I said earlier is that of a murder mystery. On its own it isn't new or different however when you add that to a story which is meant to be a heroic journey of sort you have the essence of what the batman story is. I've said it before that this film captures the true story of the Batman in such a way that no other film has been able to. It shows us the turmoil and inner flaws the Batman has to overcome to become the hero we know him as. The plot drives his character arc and like a mirror exposes his flaws to him making him re examine his stand and his motivation. The most obvious part in the story where we see this is when he discovers that his father also had secrets of his own and he wasn't the just upright man that he believed him to be. In that character defining moment he has to come to terms with the truth of motivation and he has to admit to himself that his belief that the vice of the city killed an innocent man and ruined a young boy's life is a lie.
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In a way this revelation is foreshadowed in the beginning of the film when the Batman stares thoughtfully at the son of the dead mayor, reminiscing about his own origin story. At this point he knows that the mayor is a corrupt man however to his son the mayor is simply a saint killed by evils of society. When the truth about Thomas Wayne is revealed to Bruce by Alfred he decides within himself that the quest for vengeance is a futile one because it is also that same thirst for vengeance that creates villains like the serial killer; the Riddler. Instead what he needs to become is a symbol of Justice and hope, leading the people of Gotham out of dark perilous times just as we see him do at the ending of the film. When we see this happen we understand and appreciate how much the story changes him and for the first time in the film, we see the Batman emerging out of the rumble during the day.
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Ok guys that's all I've got for today so please comment down below what you thought about the film, what you liked about it and where you think it fell apart. Also don't forget to upvote and share this post and until I see you next time
Ciao
