While I admired Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy a great deal, there was something impenetrable about them. They simply lacked the intricate world-building and emotional depth that a Batman chronicle is capable of showcasing. This was why, when I heard that Warner Bros. was rebooting the caped crusader with Matt Reeves at the helm, I felt that I was probably in store for something more to my liking. I thought, if anyone could craft a nuanced movie with this iconic comic book character, it was the guy who directed two stellar Planet of the Apes sequels. Now, after multiple viewings of Reeves’ The Batman, I’m confident he’s the right filmmaker for this franchise, as he (and Peter Craig) have composed something that’s intriguingly and unexpectedly timely.

When the Riddler (Paul Dano) begins a killing spree of powerful men throughout Gotham City, our titular hero (Robert Pattinson) is brought in by James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to investigate. Holy crap, a Batman movie that actually has the character, sometimes called The World’s Greatest Detective, doing actual detective stuff! Who would’ve thunk it? Immediately, this film sets itself apart from its predecessors by having Batman doing the kind of investigative work fans have wanted to see for years. And these detective scenes aren’t just front-loaded in the first half either; they go on throughout the entire movie. They’re eerily effective too, reminding me of the crime scene investigations from David Fincher’s Se7en, only more PG-13. If you’ve seen that film, then you know that’s a big compliment.

Batman follows the trail of clues until it leads him to the Iceberg Lounge, a seedy nightclub run by the Penguin (Colin Farrell), though he prefers to be called Oz. This feels like the right spot to point out that The Batman is a highly realistic take on the character and setting. In what world, I posit, would a gangster happily go by the moniker “the Penguin”? Not in the real one and therefore not in this one, which is probably why Oz is mainly called the Penguin in a derogatory sense. I really appreciated the small touches of realism like this; it made the story feel really gritty and immersive in a way that prior Batman movies never could.

Colin Farrell’s time in the film is relatively brief, but he certainly makes an impact, with his campy, nearly over-the-top accent and unrecognizable appearance. While he makes me want more of his performance, I’m okay that his purpose this time around is to draw Batman into Selina Kyle’s domain. Selina is played by the brilliant Zoë Kravitz, and she immediately makes her character a capable counterpart to Batman. Kravitz, or rather Selina, is a fiercely beautiful and crafty woman, and the filmmakers’ decision to mostly ignore her Catwoman persona was a savvy one. It allows Selina to be a powerful female hero without any sexualizing gimmick, which is another example of how realism pays off here. I fully bought into her story, even though it never felt totally crucial to the primary storyline.

From here, the narrative plays out with a proper mix of investigation, character, and action scenes. Given that I’ve already covered the investigation aspect, I want to touch more on the character work that this talented cast brings life to on-screen. Starting with the supporting police and gangster characters, they’re smartly shown to be two sides of the same coin. In Gotham City, which I’ve already established mirrors a real-life American city, the police and criminals have similar aims and hierarchy. Both sides are shown to have the duplicitous and corrupt, the greedy and powerful, but also the loyal and powerless. Not a lot of time is spent with these characters, but the world-building is sterling here, providing a sturdy foundation for future sequels.

That being said, the most impressive character work is done with Batman and the Riddler, who are also presented as two sides of the same coin. Both men wear masks, both utilize violence as a tool, and both commit said violence on those they view as unscrupulous. This concept, that Batman isn’t too dissimilar to the bad guys he fights, isn’t necessarily novel. It’s been pointed out before, albeit superficially. What makes The Batman unique in how it studies this dichotomy is how it handles the mental health aspect. For perhaps the first time, Batman/Bruce Wayne is shown to be truly mentally unwell. He’s not just obsessed with battling crime; he’s also seriously depressed and reclusive.* While the Riddler isn’t offered the same amount of screen-time, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that he’s dealing with similar afflictions. All of this means that when we sympathize with Batman, we may also be sympathizing with his nemesis. It’s a neat bit of characterization.

The Batman may have more going on character-wise and plot-wise than its predecessors, but that doesn’t mean it neglects its action sequences. From the off, we see the caped crusader taking down thugs in bone-crunching hand-to-hand melees. Reeves and cinematographer Greig Fraser master the art of utilizing shadows to their advantage, with Batman appearing and disappearing from the darkness to pummel his opponents. The most notable example of this is a shootout in a pitch-black hallway, during which multiple gangsters try to gun down the Bat, who carves his way through them while only being illuminated by their muzzle flashes. It’s an awesome sequence.

Another awesome sequence is the car chase that constitutes the main set-piece of the second act. Watching the Penguin speed down a crowded, rainy highway with the Batmobile on his tail is entertaining enough. It’s even better when the Batmobile is a juiced-up muscle car that looks like something straight out of Mad Max. Reflecting on it again, I’d probably rank it in my top ten car chases ever put to screen; it’s that good.

These action scenes, and all of the scenes really, are filmed really well by Reeves and his DP. This is quite an achievement when you consider how dark The Batman is, not just tonally but literally. The vast majority of this movie takes place at night, and yet somehow everyone and everything is lit just enough so that you always know where everyone is and everything that’s happening. The photography is quite stunning as well, as every pop of color contrasts very nicely with the movie’s perpetual darkness. One shot in particular, of Batman walking through a dim, flooded space while holding up a red-glowing flare, really bewitched me.

All of my criticisms of The Batman fall into the nitpick category more than anything else. For example, I felt that the film’s score, while of a decent quality, was a bit much at times. Also, on rare occasions some of the dialogue and acting came across as contrived, or worse, outright mawkish. When I noticed these things, it sometimes felt like Reeves and Co were trying too hard, as if to fool people into seeing this movie as extraordinary, when in many ways it already was. The film’s runtime also plays into this feeling. At nearly three hours long, The Batman sort of overstays its welcome a bit. Some of the individuals I watched this with were noticeably losing interest near the end, and that’s never good. Personally, I was riveted from beginning to end, and I struggle to see what can be cut that wouldn’t compromise the screenwriters’ vision.**

When taking everything into consideration, I feel that The Batman is the best film of the franchise. Whether or not it’s the best Batman movie, I’ll leave up to more knowledgeable fans. I know it may not be as thrilling as The Dark Knight, but that film lacked the kind of meaning and message you get with this one. Similarly, Robert Pattinson isn’t the best Batman ever (yet), but his take on the character is the most realistic and buoyed by a cast of well-developed supporting players. Realism is the name of the game here, and my god did they nail it. Whether it’s the film’s approach to mental health, police corruption, or social media***, it all feels like something that could happen in our world, the real world. For that reason, The Batman still resonates and sits with me in a way that no other superhero flick has. Or, maybe I’m wrong, and it fooled me into thinking that it’s more than just some movie about an emo guy in a black costume. If that’s the case, I’m a happy fool.

If I had to score it, I’d give The Batman a 9/10.

Notes:

* [Minor Spoilers] There are even hints at a family history of poor mental health, which further add to the legitimacy of Bruce’s mental health woes. I appreciated how screenwriters Reeves and Craig handled this topic with tact, rather than merely exploiting it as a plot device. Robert Pattinson deserves credit too, since he never sensationalized his performance of a mentally unwell vigilante. He clearly understood that sometimes less is more.

** If I had to cut something from this movie, it would probably be some of Selina Kyle’s scenes. While I personally enjoyed them, they did distract somewhat from Batman’s story and cutting them would probably trim the runtime by 5-10 minutes or so. Conversely, I wish the film gave us a bit more of Andy Serkis’ Alfred.

*** I wanted to touch on the social media aspect more but couldn’t find the place to. Basically, there’s some stuff in this movie involving the Riddler and internet forums that I found thought-provoking, to say the least. The idea that a mentally-ill criminal could find a following in a world that’s progressively corrupt isn’t a far-out one. I really love how The Batman makes you think about things like this.