The Batman: Neon NZ Review

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, John Turturro

Director: Matt Reeves

Broody, bleak, bum-numbing and brilliant, Matt Reeves' dark take on The Batman proves to be the Darkest Knight ever.

But whether that's too much for some raised on a more palatable Batman lore is an intriguing question in this tale of incels, city-wide corruption and one man struggling to stem the tide.

Following Year Two of the Batman's fight against the crime raging in Gotham is Robert Pattinson's emo, weary and pasty moper of Bruce Wayne, a Wayne whose floppy fringe covers part of his face and who looks vaguely disgusted at the state of the world. He even keeps a journal of each night's activities, pondering on what was as the soundtrack blears Nirvana's Something in the Way track from the screen.

When the mayor of Gotham is murdered, the Batman's on the case, along with Commissioner Jim Gordon (Wright, wearied and yet venerable to watch) as they fight prejudice against the Caped Crusader from within. But when Riddler announces his presence in the crime, and promises to blow the No More Lies of Gotham sky high, suddenly everything feels much more personal to R-Batz's Batman.

Drawing more from the Detective Comics, the Death in the Family comic series and actual detecting as well as eschewing the usual origins tale, The Batman ramps up the dour moodiness early on, delivering set pieces that are more about an atmosphere of unease than spectacle and settling into the Seven and Zodiac Killer-influenced grime and a Saw-laced veneer that infects the crime-ridden streets of Gotham.

In truth, while the conclusion of the noir mystery isn't exactly difficult (or original) to uncover, a final act destruction turnaround feels disappointingly turgid and rote in its inclusion, most of what transpires during a near 3 hour outing is immensely watchable - once you surrender to the film's rhythms. In fact, Reeves manages to deliver some subversion of the expected tropes of the genre, while never losing sight of the immersion of the Bat-world.

Pattinson is controlled in his Bat-delivery, quietly channeling the disaffected disdain for the world around him and the effects of nihilism on his never-ending quest. He's mopey in extremis, and at times is a little on the vacant side but when it comes to delivering furious anger and barely-controlled rage, the contrast is obvious and explosive.

While Zoe Kravitz offers more charisma as Selina Kyle, she's still an object within the film, as the camera milks her sexuality, as Batman watches her undress, and as her role in a club plays out. It's an interesting paradigm in a film that concerns watchers and stalkers, but never fully seems to condemn them.

Of the villains, Paul Dano's unhinged Riddler is nothing short of chilling and disturbing, tapping into social media concerns and current day exploitation of incels, the extremists and the maligned masses hidden in America's underbelly - it's a horrifically timely approach. But he's disturbingly good in a film which calls for the darkness to be brought to the fore, and proves an effective and sparingly used foil to Pattinson's Batman.

Outside of the main cast, praise must also be heaped on Michael Giacchino's score, which helps turn some of the more stylised graphic novel based sequences into moments which feel more real rather than existing to solely make the film look cool. 

Ultimately, The Batman is a sickeningly slick piece of work - it may take a little too long to go where it's going, and its choice of commentary may not totally be fresh and new, but as it commands your attention, it becomes like the grime you get under your nails - You're not sure how it got there, but it's resolutely there, and you just can't seem to shake it.