When I first heard about the newest “Batman” movie coming out in 2022, I didn’t know what to expect, since Christian Bale was no longer acting and Christopher Nolan was no longer directing. However, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson did an amazing job with all the scenes, especially the action ones.
This movie, compared to the rest of the Batman movies, is very different. The biggest difference I noticed was how the color scale is a lot darker than in previous Batman movies.
In the new movie, Batman is still in the early stages of his career, and he is still learning how to fight crime in Gotham City. When he is given clues by the Riddler—who we haven’t seen a lot of in past movies—he works with the police to crack the code of several crimes committed in the city, which makes this movie more of a detective film than a normal superhero one.
The Riddler is a villain that uses riddles to expose crime and people in Gotham who have been lying to the public. Specifically, people in power and elected officials. He has been notorious for making puzzles about his crimes, making it hard for police to understand, so Batman deals with them himself.
Personally, I like this version of Batman; if we look back to movies like “Batman Begins” (2005) or “The Dark Knight” (2008), we get a more serious and emotional side of Bruce Wayne in this most recent one.
This movie has more crime, corruption, and overall fear that criminals have of Batman, which is something that I’ve always wanted more of. The best part is how it all starts on Halloween.
The villain in this movie hasn’t been seen in previous ones. Instead of Joker or Bane, we get the Riddler, and he is very different from those other two in the reason he does all these crimes. I think with this being a darker version of Batman, his personality type is different from a lot of the books and other movies about him, as he isn’t this dark. This is the whole theme of the movie, I thought.
We also get the Penguin, who plays a big role in the underground crimes in Gotham. A scene where Batman bursts through an exploding truck to get the Penguin is probably my favorite part of the movie, as you’d think the Penguin had gotten away.
The action scenes are good, but they’re not the main focus of the movie. Instead of constant fighting, the movie builds tension slowly and then gives you action at the right moments. When the action does happen, it feels more intense because the story has already built it up and you understand what he’s actually fighting for and how the family history is being tarnished.
People here at FWCD have lots to say about this new version of “Batman.”
“This movie was thrilling with lots of action, and I liked this Batman better than the others. It fits what Batman should be. Someone who villains are afraid of,” Benjamin Lindemann ’28 said.
Others had mixed opinions, though.
“It was OK, but the older ‘Batman’ movies were better, and Christopher Nolan as Batman will be the only real Batman to me,” Jack Rodgers ’28 said.
With the way the movie ended, I can’t wait to see what happens next, and the characters introduced will be a great way to start the next movie, which is scheduled to release sometime in 2027. I am waiting anxiously for it to come out.
