It has been about 2 weeks since the movie The Batman came out in theatres. It premiered on March 4, and it did not disappoint movie goers.

The movie was surrounded by so much hype, and I would say that it definitely lived up to all of it. In fact, I went to see the movie twice and had noticed many things I missed when I saw it the first time. Anyway, I will highlight all the reasons why someone should watch the new Batman film.

Synopsis

Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.

Plot

**WARNING MILD SPOILERS AHEAD**

To start off, this movie is not your average superhero movie, but it is a mix of a thriller and a mystery.

One of the first things to mention about this movie is its plot. The plot follows Batman, as the master detective, who investigates the corruption of Gotham’s elite figures being murdered.

The one playing a game with all of these murders is the villain, the Riddler, and since I watched the movie a second time, I was able to notice the Riddler’s plan from the start of the movie. This is insanely amazing from the writers.

Going on, the plot is beautifully set up throughout the movie. In fact, the second act was my favorite. And if they cut anything from the long run time, the time of two hours and 50 minutes, the plot would not be what it was and is.

The way the movie flows from one clue to the next, the way the characters interact, the point where the audience is trying to solve the mystery too, and the dark and grungy feeling all fit this new Batman universe. It is amazing what the writers and director, Matt Reeves, were able to do.

Characters/Actors

This movie has a stellar cast of characters. The main man Batman is played by Robert Pattinson, and he did a different spin on the character that was needed for the grungy new universe.

One thing I would say is that Pattinson is giving Christian Bales’ Dark Knight a run for its money, and the Batman Voice by Pattinson, in my opinion, is better than Bales. I would also say he is more down-to-earth than Batman and shows that in his acting. Now many may say why would they cast the vampire from twilight? But Robert Pattinson has shown that he is more than that in some of his more recent movies and in The Batman.

Another character to add to this list is Catwoman played by Zoe Kravitz. She plays the character tastefully, and with good character development. Zoe plays Selina Kyle, a character who seeks justice while riding her motorcycle and/or wearing the Catwoman suit.

She teams up with Batman to get inside information on what is happening at a local nightclub in the early portion of the film. This scene is a perfectly conceived way of showing what is going on with key characters in the movie and introducing the audience to the specific corruption that is occurring in Gotham.

Another thing to add is that she is just a normal woman who does not have supernatural powers, but is very skilled in martial arts, and stealth, which I enjoyed.

The main villain of the film, the Riddler, was played by Paul Dano. He is portrayed quite differently than one would think he would be. Long gone are the days of Jim Carrey’s The Riddler from the film of 27 years ago. This is not a “Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That” Riddler. This is a much more terrifying, realistic characteristics take on the evil character. Dano has never been better than in his turn here and we get a glimpse of terror through his characterization. He looks like an everyday citizen but, in his mind, he is actually much more complex and has a reason for doing what he does.

Other characters that were cast well included Lieutenant Gordon played by Jeffrey Wright, the Penguin played by Colin Farrell, and Andy Serkis as Alfred.

Wright expertly conveys his character’s motivations, and the character of Gordon shows the way the police must interact with the people of Gotham–both good and bad while also being the first African American Gordon.

Colin Farrell’s Penguin is undeniably well-cast in the part. As Oswald Cobblepot, Farrell’s work more closely resembles a character from a future mob movie than of one in a superhero movie that fits in the new universe.

Lastly, Alfred played by Andy Serkis keeps the movie grounded a bit in-between the scenes of high tension with Serkis wonderfully conveying his character’s humanity.

Direction and Music

Another positive for this movie is the director, Matt Reeves, and the composer of the score, Michael Giacchino.

The new film is also rather extraordinarily different than the Dark Knight films. This is a new take on Batman and in re-creating Gotham and its inhabitants, director Reeves has orchestrated one of the year’s wildest and most intriguing diversions. I believe that he was the right director due to his portfolio of movies of the same type.

As for the musical score, Michael Giacchino does a great job in bringing in the new Batman theme and also bringing in Nirvana’s “Something in the way”. In fact, I still have both of these in my head, and the streams of Nirvana’s song have skyrocketed due to the film.

As for this film, The Batman is beautifully put together and has a story to prove it. Plus, the talent of actors only takes it to the next level.

All in all, I think the pros of this movie outweigh the cons. For a final rating, I would rate The Batman a nine out of 10 for a great new origin story.