The Batman Review

The Batman

Release Date: 3rd March 2022 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

DC Entertainment

6th & Idaho Productions

Dylan Clark Productions

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 176 minutes

Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $770,836,163 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

After two years of fighting crime, Batman must look

for a sadistic serial killer

known as The Riddler,

who has killed Gotham's

key political figures and

has left behind a trail of cryptic clues. He must expose the corruption that has plagued the city and question his family's involvement.

Cast

Robert Pattinson - Bruce Wayne/Batman

Zöe Kravitz - Selina Kyle

Paul Nano - The Riddler

Colin Farrell - Oz/The Penguin

Jeffrey Wright - Lt. James Gordon

John Turturro - Carmine Falcone

Andy Serkis - Alfred Pennyworth

Peter Sarsgaard - District Attorney Gil Colson

Barry Keoghan - Unseen Arkham Prisoner (Cameo)

Jayme Lawson - Bella Reál

Gil Perez-Abraham - Officer Martinez

Peter McDonald - Kenzie

Con O'Neill - Chief Mackenzie Bock

Alex Ferns - Commissioner Pete Savage

Rupert Penry-Jones - Mayor Don Mitchell Jr

Kosha Engler - Mrs. Mitchell

Archie Barnes - Mitchell's Son

Janine Harouni - Carla

Hana Hrzic - Annika

Joseph Walker - Young Riddler

Luke Roberts - Thomas Wayne

Oscar Novak - Young Bruce Wayne

Stella Stocker - Martha Wayne

Sandra Dickinson - Dory

Jack Bennett - Travis

Andre Nightingale - Ritchie

Richard James-Neale - Glen

Lorraine Tai - Cheri

Joseph Balderama - Lead Detective

James Eeles - Another Officer

Angela Yeoh - Forensic

Photographer

Leemore Marrett Jr. - Muscle Cop

Ezra Elliott - Tactical Medic

Charlie Carver - The Twin

Max Carver - The Twin

Mark Killeen - Vinnie

Elliot Warren - Train Gang Leader

Jay Lycurgo - Train Gang Young Member

Crew

Writer/Producer/Director - Matt Reeves

Writer - Peter Craig

Batman Creators - Bob Kane

and Bill Finger

Associate Producer/First

Assistant Director - Toby Hefferman

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Simon Emanuel

Executive Producers - Walter Hamada, Michael E. Uslan and Chantal Nong Vo

Producer - Dylan Clark

Casting Directors - Lucy Bevan and Cindy Tolan

Dialogue Coaches - Jill McCullough and Andrew Jack

Production Designer - James Chinlund

Vehicle Concept Artist - Ed Natividad

(Uncredited)

Supervising Art Director -

Grant Armstrong

Supervising Art Director: US -

Maya Shimoguchi

Art Directors: Vehicles - Joseph Hiura and Will Newton

Set Decorator - Lee Sandales

Assistant Set Decorators - Ben Barrington-Groves,

Anita Gupta and Guy Mount

Property Master - Jamie Wilkinson

Standby Props - Sonny Merchant and Charlie Summerville

Costume Designer - Jacqueline Durran

Costume Designer: The Batsuit/Costume Supervisor - David Crossman

Costume Designer/Chief

Concept Artist: The Batsuit - Glyn Dillon

HOD Costume FX - Pierre Bohanna

Costume Cutters - Jennifer Alford, Sarah Humphrey

and Simone Feulmer

Makeup Designer - Naomi Donne

Prosthetics Design: The Penguin & Unseen

Arkham Prisoner - Michael Marino

Makeup Designer: Selina - Pat McGrath

Director of Photography - Greig Fraser

Supervising Location Manager/

COVID Compliance - Mark Somner

Chicago Location Manager - Adam Boor

Unit Production Manager: Second Unit -

James R. McAllister

First Assistant Director: Second Unit -

Tom Edmondson

First Assistant Director: Chicago Unit -

Julian Wall

Second Unit Director/Supervising Stunt

Coordinator - Robert Alonzo

Stunt Coordinators - Steve Griffin,

Samuel Le and Jacob Dewitt

Stunt Coordinator: Chicago Unit -

Rick LeFevour

Fight Co-Coordinator/Trainer - Daniel Arrias

(Uncredited)

Picture Vehicle Supervisor - Alex King

Special Effects Supervisor - Dominic Tuohy

Special Effects Supervisor: Chicago Unit -

Andre Christopoulos

Special Effects Coordinator - Alicia Davies

Visual Effects Supervisor - Dan Lemmon

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Russell Earl

Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -

Anders Langlands

Visual Effects Supervisor: Chicago Unit -

Mark O. Forker

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -

Jeremy Burns

Visual Effects Associate Supervisors: ILM -

Malcolm Humphreys and Anthony Smith

Visual Effects Supervising Producer: ILM -

Jill Brooks

Visual Effects Producers - Alex Bicknell and

Bryan Searing

Visual Effects Producer: Weta Digital -

Sophie Cherry

Editors - William Hoy and Tyler Nelson

Supervising Sound Editor - Douglas Murray

Supervising Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer -

Will Files

Sound Designers - Lee Gilmore,

Craig Henighan and and Chris Terhune

Sound Recordist - John P. Fasal

Re-Recording Mixer - Andy Nelson

Sound Mixer - Stuart Wilson

Music - Michael Giacchino

Music Supervisor - George Drakoulias

Music Editor - Joe E. Rand

Score Recordists & Mixers - Peter Cobbin

and Kirsty Whalley

Review

Fans are wary of THE BATMAN since it's not canonically part of the DC Extended Universe, which is supposed to star Ben Affleck as the titular caped crusader and produce, co-write and direct the film. It was a bold reinvention of the title character that has been countlessly adapted many times on the silver screen. The movie managed to arrive in theatres by the time it came. Co-writer/director Matt Reeves is a longtime Batman fan and has poured his heart and soul into making his spin on the Dark Knight with inspiration from a few of David Fincher's films. He's not as masterful as Chris Nolan, who did the character justice in The Dark Knight trilogy. Reeves knows how to push certain limits when making this recent cinematic interpretation a noir thriller.

Why some fans are disappointed with this iteration, I don't understand. Perhaps they expected an adaptation similar to The Dark Knight but with a tonal balance of light and dark. I admire its action sequences, in which the fighting felt very similar to the combat style from the Arkham games I've been playing. Plus, it had an engaging storyline with so many twists and turns.

After years of seeing Christian Bale and Ben Affleck's takes on the character, I was uncertain that Robert Pattinson would be an ideal actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman. Given that he played a sullen vampire in the Twilight series. I didn't watch his work. However, Pattinson gives a vulnerable edge to his protagonist and proves that he's good at it. Few people complained that Batman was too much of a wimp and not a strong enough character, but they're probably not used to seeing the new version.

Paul Dano did a fantastic job as The Riddler, whereas Jim Carrey's is comical and lighthearted. His was darker, homicidal and extremely psychopathic and would probably rival Heath Ledger's Joker as the terrifying arch-foe of Batman. Colin Farrell looks unrecognisable as the Penguin, although the makeup team did an incredible job of making him look like that. Zöe Kravitz was terrific as Catwoman, and this wasn't the first time she played that anti-heroine, which she reprised from The Lego Batman Movie.

On the technical side, Greig Fraiser's cinematography is simply dazzling. Michael Giacchino's score is hauntingly brutal but eerily similar to Danny Elfman's compositions in the first two Batman movies by Tim Burton.

While it isn't as insightful or original as Nolan's films, THE BATMAN is a superbly daring movie that reinvents the Caped Crusader bleakly for a crime thriller/detective drama. It could be the second-best Batman movie, with The Dark Knight still on top. I highly recommend it to Batman and DC fans, and most would want to see it anyway.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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