In a heartfelt piece, a die-hard geek, author – and regular-ish new columnist for GeekAfrique – shares his views on ‘The Batman’.
Seun Odukoya
After watching comic-based movies for over thirty years, I can confidently say the best superhero films are sometimes not ‘superhero’ films. They are simply genre films featuring people with special abilities. Case in point: ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’, ‘Logan’, and now ‘The Batman’.
DC needs to learn to keep a lid on their casting choices, or maybe not. At this point, people ranting and screaming at the heavens because of Batman and related characters casting choices is nothing new. Hey, I ranted at Heath Ledger’s casting as Joker, but I learned my lesson. So, when Batfleck’s turn came about, I held my peace. The result? An incredible performance that didn’t get its time in the spotlight.
We all know the story: personal issues interfered with the original plan to have Ben Affleck direct and star in a standalone Batman movie that would have had Deathstroke as the main villain. That would have been insane, as both characters are known for their physicality and combat abilities. Besides, the warehouse scene in ‘Dawn of Justice’ gave me one of the several things that had been lacking from live-action Batman films: A Batman who can actually fight.
Another thing that has been so conspicuously absent in the movies is actual detecting. For a character hailed as ‘the world’s greatest detective’, to the point where one of his deadliest and oldest rivals refers to him like that, the movies have failed in that regard. Until now. ‘The Batman’ is your standard mystery crime thriller; someone is running around Gotham murdering the rich and privileged (aka the corrupt). He leaves breadcrumbs for the police and a certain vigilante to find – or the tail end of a rope for them to tug on, and thereby unravel the biggest corruption scandal in Gotham since…well, since forever.
The vigilante in question has been around for roughly two years, and his methods still need work. The most obvious is the fact that there’s no clear distinction between the mask (Bruce Wayne) and the man (Batman) yet. Bruce broods, Bats broods. Bruce is obsessive, so is Batman. He seems to be tottering on the edge of complete insanity, needing ‘one little push’ to completely lose himself. And somewhere on the fringes is Batman’s batman, hovering, unsure of his place in the ungodly mess that is his charge.
Gotham itself is a city devouring its own tail. It is gloomy, seedy, with the sun barely seen during the 176-minute runtime. Bruce himself provides the narration for some of the film, providing context and exposition. Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle is a pleasure to watch – something even Bats acknowledges in one of the ‘that was weird’ scenes. The character can be fun, but much of that cannot be had in this joyless movie. Her bisexuality was introduced – but we weren’t beaten over the head with it. And both the stars have on-screen chemistry in abundance, sparks and hearts flew off the screen every time The Cat and The Bat shared a scene. I do like how their relationship is teased but not explored too deeply.
Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ is good for many reasons. The dialogue is excellent: James Gordon is more visible here than in any other movie version, though he seemed more like Bats’ sounding board than his own man. It’s always nice to see the more human members of Bats’ rogue’s gallery – Falcone, Maroni; Collin Farrell virtually disappears into his Penguin, sounding like an early-days Robert DeNiro knock-off. Gil Colson is supposedly Harvey Dent’s forerunner – and Peter Sarsgaard plays him like a college teenager on a first date with his crush. Alfred is the guardian who is confused about his ward’s choices but loves him nonetheless. And a bonding moment promises a closer relationship between the two, which will probably lead us to the Alfred we all know and love.
‘However, it is worth mentioning that it’s as though Reeves looked at Nolan’s trilogy and upped the ante.’
I couldn’t help but notice how Reeves draws parallels between Batman and the Riddler. They both stalk people, embrace theatricality, and keep meticulously detailed ledgers. And Riddler did admit to being inspired by Bats. If only he knew. The Riddler, whose name has somehow become Edward Nashton is played to perfection by Paul Dano, who I have thought of as ‘disturbed’ for a while. I’ve always found his babylike face creepy, and he dials it all the way up with growls and grunts and sudden screams.
Pattison’s Batman realizes he still needs a lot of work; this is clear for all to see when at the climactic moment, he is made to realize running around a city in black and calling himself ‘Vengeance’ may not be the smartest choice. I’m not even going to talk about the bike, the Batmobile, the gadgets, and the functionality of the Batsuit. However, it is worth mentioning that it’s as though Reeves looked at Nolan’s trilogy and upped the ante. And the cinematography? ‘The Batman’ is a lovingly and gorgeously-shot movie, frame by frame. Several shots feel like a picture come to life, symbolism running rife within. Greig Fraser (of ‘Dune’ fame) deserves an Oscar for this one.
‘If I could offer Reeves some advice though, it would be to LEAVE JOKER ALONE. Everybody has a narrow view when it comes to Batman and his rogues’ gallery, as though Joker is the only villain he has.’
If I could offer Reeves some advice though, it would be to LEAVE JOKER ALONE. Everybody has a narrow view when it comes to Batman and his rogues’ gallery, as though Joker is the only villain he has. Reeves did a great job with Riddler, now do some other guy, like the Ventriloquist, Ra’s Al Ghul, Killer Croc, Clayface, the Mad Hatter, Hugo Strange, Black Mask, Calendar Man, Lady Shiva, or the Court of Owls. See the point there?
‘The Batman’ may be a hard sell for ‘regular’ moviegoers who only know Steve Rogers because they’ve seen ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and people who are not true movie buffs may find it long and boring. But anyone who watches with an open mind is guaranteed to be entertained. After all, is that not why we’re here?
Seun Odukoya, author of ‘Saving Dapo’, lives and writes in Lagos.