Matt Reeves (director of the Planet Of The Apes reboot and Cloverfield) is very successful at bringing an even darker version of Batman to the big screen than Christopher Nolan did with his trilogy. This story starts bleak and the cinematography (courtesy of Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser) and colour palette reinforce this approach. There isn’t a light shade of blue or green to be seen during the entire film. The road to redemption this time is a long one.
On the casting front, things are uniformly effective with Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman more than holding up his end, he has brooding down to a science. Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman) hits all the right notes and looks great in tight black leather while Colin Farrell is almost unrecognisable as Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin). Jeffrey Wright as Lt. James Gordon and John Turturro as the crime boss Carmine Falcone turn in their usual strong workman like effort.
The story is a fundamental one and the emphasis is placed squarely on the personal. Batman arrives almost fully formed and only mere hints are given at first on why he is so tortured. The billionaire side of his existence is downplayed and there is little focus placed on the Bat-gadgets. Even the Batmobile is understated and there is also a slightly different take on the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents.
Putting in maximum time and effort at forging a new path down a very well-trodden avenue has paid dividends. As long as the darkness both visually and metaphorically doesn’t bother you, The Batman can stand on its own and does well to establish an inviting new take on a character that has been with us since its inception all the way back in 1939.
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