Warning: This review contains spoilers

One of the highest anticipated films of the year “The Batman” came with a lot of speculation and concern. With a new cast, new villains, and a fresh point of view, this film is far from the Christopher Nolan films, yet captures a much more comic accurate hero. 

Allow me to begin by saying, I am typically a much bigger fan of Marvel than I am of DC. I think that Warner Brothers has really dropped the ball in recent years with the DCEU. The films are redundant many times and come off as lazy cash grabs to me, but “The Batman” is an entirely different story. 

The cinematography of the film is absolutely perfect. It’s dark but has a magnificent use of sporadic color. I love the fact that this movie is red coded. Batman is typically black and yellow, with occasional variation such as “Batman Beyond”, but this hint of red is one of my favorites. Greig Fraser did an amazing job as head cinematographer on this film and I think that it’s truly a beautiful and detailed movie. 

The way they portrayed the riddler is spectacular. His character is very clearly influenced by the Zodiac killer, which has always been a very mysterious and interesting case to me. He doesn’t just leave behind stupid riddles, theres always more that Batman has to really dig to find out. This aspect directly adds to the fact that Batman is supposed to be “the world’s greatest detective,” which many iterations of the hero have completely ignored. Batman is so much more than just a dark and brutish man. He is a smart and well calculated vigilante.  

Aside from the depth that has been added to these decades old characters, the film has an overall amazing storyline. The Riddler is taking down some of Gotham’s most corrupt individuals one by one, and he is convinced that Batman is on his side helping him through it all. Though the movie is nearly three hours long, the pacing is practically perfect. Every detail plays out, and stories don’t randomly get dropped half way through the film. It can tend to feel a little bit slow at times, and it’s certainly hard to find a spare minute where you can pop out for a bathroom break, but the movie makes up for that. The longer run time helps to make it feel less rushed. The mysteries of the film don’t just magically get solved to cut back on time. Each issue has its moment in the spotlight, and viewers have to watch patiently to see how Batman and his team solve each one. 

The music in this movie is also spectacular. It provides a lot of foreshadowing, both in the lyrics of songs such as “Something In The Way” by Nirvana, and in the motifs that go along with the film’s heroes and villains. Even Batman’s main theme alludes to Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars, which is an interesting connection between two characters that both have a tragic past. 

All in all, “The Batman” has completely exceeded my expectations. Robert Patinson was an amazing choice for Batman. He plays the character so well, and he adds his own twist to the character, yet manages to make it much more comic accurate. I love that this movie shows the earlier part of the vigilante’s career. He’s still learning the ropes, and still leans on Alfred for a lot of support. He’s risky and adventurous. Zoe Kravitz makes a wonderful Catwoman. She’s one of my favorite actresses and she has such a beautiful way of portraying strong and painful emotions. 

I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you can set aside the time to sit down and watch it, it’s definitely worth the three hours it will take.