![\"the](\"https:\/\/365moviesbyday.bryanbuser.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/the-batman-198x300.jpg\")
After Christopher Nolan’s fabulous trilogy of\u00a0Batman Begins, The Dark Knight<\/em>, and\u00a0The Dark Knight Rises<\/em><\/a>, I was sure we wouldn’t see The Caped Crusader in a standalone film for a long time. Nolan’s series was pure perfection. Whichever director attempted to bring, arguably, the most storied superhero in comic book history was already behind the eight-ball before a script was even imagined. With its 29% Rotten Tomatoes score,\u00a02016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice<\/a>\u00a0was far from what we all hoped it would be. 2017’s\u00a0Justice League (39%, 68%)<\/a>\u00a0didn’t help much. However, However,\u00a0Zach Snyder’s 2001 director’s cut<\/a>, while chalking in at over four hours, faired much better (71%, 94%). Matt Reeves’s (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<\/a>, Cloverfield<\/em>)\u00a0The Batman<\/em>\u00a0is a darker, more mysterious take and is the perfect movie to bring the iconic superhero back to the big screen in his own story.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reeves’s movie feels more like\u00a0Se7en, Zodiac<\/em>, or\u00a0The Bone Collector<\/em>\u00a0than it does Nolan’s character, which was as much a character study as a vigilante. The plot of\u00a0The Batman<\/em>\u00a0revolves around Riddler (Paul Dano –\u00a0The Fabelmans,\u00a0Love & Mercy<\/a><\/em>), a serial killer targeting Gotham City officials, including Mayor Don Mitchell Jr (Rupert Penry-Jones –\u00a0Hilary and Jackie, Match Point<\/em>), Commissioner Pete Savage (Alex Ferns), and District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard –\u00a0An Education<\/a>,\u00a0Blue Jasmine<\/a><\/em>). Riddler’s motives are distinct. They begin with Mayor Mitchell, whom Riddler chose to expose the cover-up behind a drug bust and arrest of mafia leader Salvatore Maroni, one which Mitchell helped steer. It was one of Mitchell’s unethical agreements that helped him become mayor.<\/p>\n Mitchell’s killings begin a series of murders, each with a riddle that will help a recruited Batman (Robert Pattinson –\u00a0The Lost City of Z, The Lighthouse<\/em>)and Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright –\u00a0The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1<\/a>, The Ides of March<\/em>) to Riddler’s next target and watching, with great pleasure, as the pair decipher the clues too late. Along the way, Batman and Gordon track down potential assailants, including \/Oswald Cobblepot\/The Penguin (Colin Farrell –\u00a0The Banshees of Inisherin,\u00a0The Lobster<\/a><\/em>), who denies any wrongdoing but whose introduction, if nothing else, sets us up for the next part of this new franchise.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, films of the DC Universe (Venom, Black Adam, Man of Steel, Green Lantern, Suicide Squad, Justice League<\/em>, etc.) are nearly unwatchable. Even the better films, such as\u00a0Wonder Woman<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Aquaman<\/em>, offer nothing that truly feels original. Batman movies have traditionally been the bread and butter of the DC Universe, with\u00a0The Batman<\/em>\u00a0being the eighth movie since 1989 that revolves solely around this character. While not Nolan’s version of Batman, Reeves’s darker version of the superhero genre feels like a breath of fresh air when compared to anything other than Nolan’s trilogy.<\/p>\n Plot 9\/10 Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie<\/strong><\/p>\n After Christopher Nolan’s fabulous trilogy of\u00a0Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and\u00a0The Dark Knight Rises, I was sure we wouldn’t see The Caped Crusader in a standalone film for a long time. Nolan’s series was pure perfection. Whichever director attempted to bring, arguably, the most storied superhero in comic book history was already behind the eight-ball … Continue reading The Batman (2022)<\/span> ![\"the](\"https:\/\/365moviesbyday.bryanbuser.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/the-batman-still-2-300x200.jpeg\")
Both the tone and the mood of\u00a0The Batman<\/em>\u00a0are done in a way that we haven’t seen before in a film of this caliber. Of course, we’ve seen darker, more mysterious themes in films of lesser-known superhero movies. But for a DC Universe or Marvell Universe movie, this is new. For a filmgoer who is tired of cookie-cutter Marvell Universe films. While I love the\u00a0Iron Man<\/em><\/a>\u00a0franchise, a considerable part of this was because it was the first of its kind. Since then, we’ve had origin films on\u00a0Captain America<\/a>,\u00a0Thor<\/a>, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow,\u00a0Black Panther<\/a>, Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>,\u00a0Ant-Man<\/em><\/a>, and more. While most of these films are good as standalone films, if you’ve seen one of these, you’ve seen them alone.<\/p>\n
\nCharacter Development 8\/10
\nCharacter Chemistry 7\/10
\nActing 8\/10
\nScreenplay 8\/10
\nDirecting\u00a0 9\/10
\nCinematography 10\/10
\nSound 9\/10
\nHook and Reel 8.5\/10
\nUniversal Relevance 8.5\/10
\n85%<\/p>\n\n