The Batman: Not the Batman Movie We Need, But the One We Deserve

By Varun Agrawal

The Batman. Set against the backdrop of perpetual rain and gloom; a decaying, derelict, despairful Gotham amalgamated from the underbellies of New York, Chicago, and Los  Angeles; intricately gruesome murders paralleling the depravity and sadism of the likes  of the Zodiac Killer and the film Se7en; and institutions teeming with rampant corruption  to the point of absurdity.  

And yet, Batman (Robert Pattinson) defiantly stands in the shadows, alongside his only confidant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), in what seems to be an impossibly uphill battle against a city that has made it more than clear it really isn’t worth saving, or even worth trying to save.  

Director Matt Reeves delivers a film that is more of a brooding, pulp-ish noir than a traditional superhero spectacle. One that will leave you wanting to see more of Reeves’ immaculately constructed world. But apart from the solid direction, A-rate performances, gorgeous cinematography, and everything far and between about The Batman – it’s worth noting that what makes this film special is how it uniquely approaches Batman, considering that the story of the caped crusader has become common knowledge and has been adapted to the screen a multitude of times. 

Bruce Wayne is only two years into his vigilante experiment, operating under the name  and principle of “Vengeance” – a telltale sign that this isn’t the Batman we are used to  seeing on screen. Encapsulating the underlying rage of Kurt Cobain in Nirvana’s  “Something in The Way,” this Batman walks around like a vampire of sorts, his  nightmarish cowl peering menacingly over his next victim. He has a violent gaze as he  coldly advances towards his targets, and in an instant, his fury is unleashed on the  unsuspecting criminals, just short of commiting murder. This is the Batman we’re  presented with: a Batman angry at the world, doing everything in his power to seek  vengeance. 

And by the end of the film, this Batman is still not the heroic, mythic figure we think he  is. He is a work in progress – a Batman who is trying to figure his stuff out. Reeves’ take on Batman doesn’t show a hero behind the mask. Reeves shows a person behind the mask, which is what makes The Batman such a fascinating interpretation of the age-old character. 

At the beginning of the film, we see a reclusive Bruce Wayne, still haunted by witnessing  his parents die in front of him, using Batman as an outlet to release his pent-up trauma on small-time crooks. Pattinson has described his version of Bruce Wayne and his relationship to Batman as a “drug addiction,” (Saavedra) and that he is “playing the parent’s death, constantly the whole time” (GQ). This is a stark contrast to the traditional portrayal of Batman as a billionaire playboy and philanthropist. Reeves’ choice to make his version of Batman a marked departure is an interesting one, as it matches his desire for a grounded take on Batman. Realistically, Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be able to easily put up such a facade the way his life has unfolded to this point. With the scars of his past, it’s reasonable to see him as an emotionally stunted man, still struggling to come to terms with his parents’ horrific murder – and understandably so. Only a reclusive weirdo, a person who isolates himself from the outside world in the confines of his home, someone with emotional wounds so deep and lingeringly painful, would think dressing up as a bat of all creatures would instill fear into the hearts and minds of criminals. 

As Batman continues his rageful tirade on the city streets, another rageful tirade begins – a grotesque, looming threat to the fabric of Gotham. The Riddler’s (Paul Dano) methods – in a twisted way – mirror Batman’s. Both are fueled by rage: vigilantes lashing out at a city that failed them, but the only difference is one kills and the other doesn’t. Batman’s precedent of ragefully taking justice into his own hands inspired Edward Nashton, a disillusioned forensic accountant who adopts the identity of The Riddler, but Nashton took to a more depraved interpretation of justice. But even Batman’s interpretation of justice is questionable. His youthful ignorance leads him to think that he can function where institutions can’t, but is Batman really accomplishing this? Is beating criminals into submission really solving the crime epidemic that plagues Gotham? Or is it simply symbolic and devoid of any meaningful action? 

So here we are: a Batman whose questionably aggressive tactics have inspired a serial  killer whose tactics are not only more aggressive but hellishly sadistic, perverting the  human moral code to abhorrent frontiers. But this is the Batman who we start with, not  exactly the one who we end with. 

As the film progresses, Reeves peels the bandages off to reveal the true state of Gotham:  a city whose grasp on civilization slowly loosens as it rots and descends towards nihilism  and anarchy. As Batman and Gordon uncover this, a nauseating dread sets in, and any sense of optimism dwindles and wanes.  

But as strange as it sounds to say this about such a philosophically and visually dark  figure – this is where Batman begins to shine.

At a point where bleakness begins to taint any sign of hope, Batman becomes a beacon of hope in Gotham. Fear only added to the abyss that was Gotham. Gotham needed something else, and it came in the unlikely and unexpected form of Batman. What Bruce Wayne didn’t realize is that rather than bask in the shadows, he should look for the light. In a city devoid of optimism, he has to become that symbol of optimism.

And finally, in the midst of his calculated fit of rage against crime, came a moment of  clarity – that he had been using the wrong tool in his war for justice. Fear wasn’t the tool  Batman needed, it was hope.

Works Cited

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The Batman. Directed by Matt Reeves, performances by Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, and Barry Keoghan. Warner Bros., 2022. 

Captainmidnight. "What Makes The Batman Incredible." YouTube, 11 Mar. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBiT7eP6MHU. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022. 

Cortex Videos. "THE BATMAN: What Makes Robert Pattinson Great." YouTube, 24 Mar. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndZoCNU7wKw. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022. 

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GQ. "Robert Pattinson Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ." YouTube, 8 Feb. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz52gPH3ou4. Accessed 26 Apr. 2022. 

Hornaday, Ann. "In joyless ‘The Batman,’ Robert Pattinson channels the vampire Edward Cullen." The Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-batman-movie-review/2022/02/28/83df0b96-98ab-11ec-9dab-a746cf5f9e32_story.html. Accessed 26 Apr. 2022. 

Jahns, Jeremy. "The Batman - Movie Review." YouTube, 28 Feb. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-qwTSoCBHg. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022. 

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Lawson, Richard. "‘The Batman’ Is All Dressed Up With Few New Places to Go." Vanity Fair, 28 Feb. 2022, www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/review-the-batman-is-all-dressed-up-with-few-new-places-to-go. Accessed 26 Apr. 2022. 

Ooh, That's Interesting. "Philosophy Of The Batman (Stoicism)." YouTube, 16 Mar. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jaELs_7aYs. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022. 

Saavedra, John. "The Batman: Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves Confirm Exclusive New Details About the Film." Den of Geek, 16 Feb. 2022, www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-batman-robert-pattinson-matt-reeves-exclusive-new-details-spoilers/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022. 

Scott, A. O. "‘The Batman’ Review: Who’ll Stop the Wayne?" The New York Times, 11 Mar. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/movies/the-batman-review.html. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.