Review for THE BATMAN:
•Language: ENGLISH.
•Duration: 02 Hours 56 Minutes.
•Genre: SUPERHERO THRILLER.
Theatre: Minerva Empire Cinemas Kottarakara, Kollam.
•REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI.R
• POSITIVES:
1: CINEMATOGRAPHY
2: EDITING.
3: PRODUCTION DESIGN.
4: ACTION AND GRADING.
• NEGATIVES:
1: STORY IS PREDICTABLE.
2: SCREENPLAY COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BETTER.
3: SLOW-PACED MAKING.
4: AVERAGE DIRECTION.
•ONE WORD: A boring Batman that you will ever see, highly disappointed.
•STORY IDEA:
Gotham city is in danger, the city is threatened by a series of killings of various politicians. An unknown guy sets some traps and he kills and shows them to the public through video footage. Batman is all set to find the guy so will Batman be able to find the serial killer and can Batman make the city safe again is the rest of the story.
•ANALYSIS INTO DIRECTION, STORY, SCREENPLAY & DIALOGUES:
The Batman is directed by the hitmaker Matt Reeves who himself writes the script along with Peter Craig. The movie is produced by Dylan Clark and the director Matt Reeves under the production companies of DC Films, 6th & Idaho and Dylan Clark Productions. The movie is based on the character from DC and the film is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, with a running time of 176 minutes the film is currently running in theatres with a hundred percent occupancy.
The atmosphere is dark, it’s all surrounded by the blackish tone and Gotham City is on a threat by a serial killer and there appears the saviour, The Batman. The 172 minutes is extremely long, and a movie with a darker tone and less action will make the 172 minutes count, sometimes it may test the patience to a large core. My verdict about The Batman is, I am not that much impressed, I enjoyed watching and it offers some exciting moments but it doesn’t excite me, the magical vibe of The Dark Knight series was missing. The atmosphere created by the director Matt Reeves was interesting, but the way he made the premise was less engaging still if you can get synched with the world of Matt Reeves then this reboot will be an exceptional choice, sadly I couldn’t feel his making vibe.
When analysing the story I would say that the old investigative Batman is back, but still does the story provides enough component to entertain us is questionable. Rather I would say that for a three hours duration the plot and the screenplay doesn’t do proper justice, it was like a half-cooked cake, some areas went well and some drowned. The film begins with the voiceover of Robert Pattinson and it was a promising start but slowly things started to get fade like the grading of the movie. The predictability was killing the thrill, whatever the Batman finds out something it doesn’t provide any chill, it fitted only for a normal sit and watch. The flow of the movie was ok but gripping moments was never able to see, the only saving element was the few action scenes. Too much talking makes this reboot dull, taking and taking and it was like forcing me to watch over their conversation. A spark was missing from the very beginning in the character of Batman, Ben Affleck was better, at least his screen presence was not giving up any boring feel.
The world created by Christopher Nolan was extraordinary, there we can find the true Batman. But here in the world of Matt Reeves, the circumstances are shoddy, Batman is running to save his beloved Gotham city but has no energy and it’s hard to find the heroic feel of our old Batman. The serial killings of politicians and their corruption are the talk and the subject, but the investigation to find who is the killer was insanely lazy. The shabby storyline was filled with some uneventful endless subplots and besides the black tone and random explosions, the script doesn’t offer to get entertained. While watching my mind was saying that you got a long way ahead, yes the movie was dragging and dragging unnecessarily and slow-paced way of making was driving me into sleepiness. This Batman and his surroundings were so sluggish, I didn’t like his bike and car, the house was not at all justifying and even the Batman’s mentor Alfred was awful.
The whole writing of the film is an example of a weaker script, the ending was so dramatic, followed a routines climax. The city drowning in a flood and in between Batman fighting against numerous villains and finally killing all and people placing him as a saviour and the promises to protect again was pathetic to see, at least the director could have brought some interesting and thrilling angle. The ending was not at all convincing and the making was never offering anything to thrill, so for the better sake while booking the tickets please leave all the expectations
- PERFORMANCE OF ACTORS:
The Batman has the casting of Robert Pattinson as the Batman followed by Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell and many more. Robert Pattinson as Batman did an impressive performance, his screen presence was all over the film which made the movie watchable. He was good but compared with Christian Bale and Ben Affleck he was not up to the mark, still he performed in his manner and managed to impress as Batman. The attitude of the Batman was safely handled and the tone in delivering the dialogues was meticulous. His way of performing the action sequences was moderate, some were favourable but some fight lacks to make a punch. The interesting thing I liked about his acting was the intense look, his eyes were catchy, behind the mask the strong look he use to give through the eyes will make some impression. The dialogue delivery came out well, the harsh voice was nice to hear and the anger scenes was matched with the perfect voice. Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman (Selina Kyle) was looking gorgeous and the grace in her performance was awesome. Her flexible fight scenes were startling to impress and her daring attitude was making some exciting moments. The dialogue delivery was flawless and her combination scenes with Robert Pattinson showed some thrilling action and a good romantic track. Paul Dano as Riddler/ Edward Nashton shines amazingly towards the end. When his identity has revealed the movie was on a fast pace and his excellent skills showcased the mannerism of a psychopath. His serious acting with the intense face and roaring dialogue delivery marched for a good villain. Jeffrey Wright as James Cordon did the role of the police investigative officer and shared great screen space with Robert Pattinson. His scenes with Batman was taking the movie forward and he gave his best for the character also as a police officer his personality and the way of investigation matched the scenarios. Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth was having less to perform but his hospital scene with Robert Pattinson was emotional.
- MUSIC AND BACKGROUND SCORE:
The musical composition for the film is tuned by Michael Giacchino which includes the background score.
The Batman Theme song was locking my mind to a different mood, the change of tone and different types of variations was amazing to hear, 6 minutes and 48 seconds was ever felt while hearing the tune was having the prominent power to contrive our mind into various moods. From the 04:00 second the tune shit into different perspectives and the beating rhythm which it creates had given me goosebumps.
The track “Something In the Way’ is still my favourite, it’s been a year and still whenever I am hearing it pushes me to put it into repeating mode. The original version is a masterpiece by the band NIRVANA, the song is like a motivator to do something. Michael Giacchino had authentically remixed it, from the 00.43 seconds the song was giving me an undefinable feel. It’s hard to express but hearing those parts used to take my mind and body to another world. The lyrics are also unique, and the guitar notes, in the beginning, make a great start. The background score was outstanding, the background tunes at the crucial scenes were lifting the impact to a great core. The action sequences were enriched with the right background score.
- TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
The film ‘The Batman’ is a film with a high budget of around 200 million dollars so it is supposed to be technically brilliant and in the end, the movie is flawless on the technical aspects, they had provided the best for this dark universe. The cinematography is by Greig Fraser, the editing by William Hoy and Tyler Nelson, the production design is by James Chinlund. David Crossman and Glyn Dillon design the suit for the Batman and Jacqueline Durran makes the rest of the costume for other characters.
The cinematography by Greig Fraser was unbelievable, this reboot franchise was stunning to watch because of the intense camera work. The long wide-angle shots for the action sequences were the most I liked. Seeing those fights on a big screen with an Atmos sound system was fascinating. The composition of the shot and the placement of the camera was precise, the camera was positioned at the right spot so that the action sequences were capturing the best moments. The movie is surrounded by a darker atmosphere, it’s filled with a black mix so the grading had worked to set a different ambience. So how the cinematographer had organized the lightning arrangements will make us wonder. The whole lighting method was adaptive for this darker tone, the camera and its movements had synched to set this darker appeal. The visuals of Gotham City was also compressed with wide-angle frames, the city was gorgeous to watch and at the nocturnal time, the appealing visuals make the city more beautiful. Also, Greig Fraser had done a great job on close up shots, his intention to capture the emotions of the character and worked out. The close-up shots of Rober Pattinson when he is in the Batman suit was marvellous to watch, focusing on his eyes and his change of facial expressions was beautifully captured. The camera movements at the fight sequences were also captivating, those fast-paced movements had created enough chill and excitement. The chasing scenes were extraordinary, the visuals were giving a phenomenal thrilling cinematic experience. The lovely combination scenes of Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz were having the best romantic moments and also their combined actions and stunts were captured vividly to set a collision.
The editing of William Hoy and Tyler Nelson was accurate with no sort of mistakes or mismatches. The nearly three hours of duration haven’t given any kind of mismatches in the viewing. The cuts were at the perfect place and the transition of the scene had victoriously worked out, especially the fade-out transition. The grading of a darker tone and the special effects had made this reboot movie more attractive. The entire movie was enclosed with this kind of black tone and the visuals were pleasing and matching for the theatre experience. The visuals, effects and graphics work was superb, the VFX was done nicely, especially for the stunts and action sequences. The teamwork of the Art Department was good, the entire set in the movie was matching the script and none of the set arrangements was not having any artificial feel. The Makeup department had also done a great job, Zoë Kravitz and Paul Dano were getting the right makeup works and they looked terrific. Robert Pattinson as the Batman was bolted with accurate makeup, the black work on his face and the hairstyle was awesome. This time the suit of the Batman was more appealing, the design of David Crossman and Glyn Dillon was remarkable. I hope they continue with this suit with more advantages. The remaining costumes were designed by Jacqueline Durran which had the proper detailing. Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman was looking dazzlingly in her suit and her normal costume was also attractive and Paul Dano as Riddler was also looking great in his costumes. Huge applause for every team member who was behind the action sequences, the entire fight sequences and the chasing scenes were locked with the right fighting style. The action and fight sequence of Batman was exciting at the same time it was thrilling. The action style of Batman was also fantastic, Robert Pattinson punches and the kicks were compelling to make some huge whistles. Also, Zoë Kravitz’s stunts and fights were striking, giving some best exciting moments. The sound department also need special mention, the theatre experience was speechless, the Atmos effects were giving extra sound effects for the ears.
- CONCLUSION:
So overall The Batman has given me a boring experience, I won’t recommend this yawning dose to anyone. I am a fan of Batman and had watched every instalment of the Batman franchise and sadly I would say that this reboot is the worst among the Batman movies. The technical perfection is at its best but the script and the making is a big time of disappointment. You may get bored and the lazy direction will force you to count each second, therefore kindly watch with less expectation.
- VERDICT: Below Average
- FINAL RATING: 2/5
