“The Batman” Fails to Save the Audience from Boredom
BY: GENEVA LEE
News Editor
A movie is not a comic book. It is a mistake to believe perfect imitation for a strong adaptation. The Batman (2022) is an exercise in such, a three-hour one at that.
It was almost hard to see The Batman because the lighting was so low, with only jaundiced halogens barely bludgeoning, not slicing, through the dark. The rain soaked the film roll. The lionization of the grime and grit of Gotham was too much, and though comic book fans have criticized Christopher Nolan’s Batman films for being too clean, light, and smooth it’s worth saying that director Matt Reeves and cinematographer Greig Fraser’s decisions seem sophomorically reactionary and uninspired.
The constant rain and night were paired with a narrative that was equally plodding, with viewers only strung along with only the promise of a plot payoff, and the characters saying that the corruption and conspiracy is greater than anyone could imagine. After all the overly-complex pageantry of red herrings, false trails, and dramatic scenes, the big reveal is standard and underwhelming. And viewers are not just dragged for ninety minutes—the film is three hours long. An hour or even an hour and a half could be cut, and the movie would still be bad, but still, it would be an improvement.
The weak plot was exacerbated with flat characters, preventing investment in or care regarding the characters’ lives or actions. These roles were written poorly, but the actors did not make successful attempts to elevate their roles either. Pattinson has a pension for going all-in on “emo” roles, as he did in the “Twilight” films, but he has shown that he has evolved considerably as an actor with a number of strong performances. It’s sad to say that he regresses in this return to one-dimensional angst. The villains were indistinguishable, though Zoe Kravitz did well with what she was given, even if it was not much.
The key villain, The Riddler, was especially poorly written: He left little riddles that Batman solved instantly or that required some circumlocutory thinking that was completely unrealistic. Though Batman and his world itself require a large suspension of disbelief, the behaviors of humans and thinking patterns in such worlds have to be relatable and realistic, and these cheap puzzles were just too little or too much to pique interest.
Paul Dano, who played The Riddler, also fell into the trap of making his character wacky—the Joker from The Dark Knight (2008) is clearly mentally ill, but he keeps a more serious profile. Dano hoots, loudly moans and cries, and will giggle while getting close to the camera in an acting style that makes him appear to be an amatuer Youtuber that Reeves found, which is kinda the point of the role, but it’s too amateurish. A stereotype of an incel, or a pseudo-intellectual incel that actual incels inspire to be, makes for such a drab foil for the Batman.
One moment that stood out was the weak social critique in which the new mayor quips at Bruce for not using his wealth to help others systemically (a valid critique that deserves more consideration, except this would unravel the entire existence of the Batman, and then we wouldn’t have a movie). This new mayor is seen as a symbol of change and anti-corruption, yet her story is not explored at all, and though it might be in the next movie, she is present enough that it is odd she is so in the background, especially with so much talk about politics.
The critique of politics in The Batman is one of just an overall disgust with the swamp without critical thoughtfulness or engagement on how to clean it. Pattinson’s Batman just observes and complains and moves from crisis to crisis, as opposed to Bale’s, who throws his weight behind Havery Dent to find white knights for the city among The Dark Knight’s political considerations.
We get it: Gotham is very goth. But without cadence and variance, the film is a three hour monotonous bore.
It is filled with boring characters, weak promises, bland commentary, and poor acting that the audience can barely see. The Dark Knight (2008) needs to come take care of this Batman (2022).
