On Friday, March 4, Matt Reeves’s “The Batman” released to theaters worldwide. This rendition of Batman follows Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) in his early years of being Batman and the lasting impact his parents death has had on his life. Throughout the film, he encounters many notable characters such as: Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), Penguin (Colin Farrell), Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and the notorious villain, the Riddler (Paul Dano). 

“The Batman” began filming in January of 2020 before having to shut down production due to COVID-19, in March. After shifting its release date numerous times over the past two years, they finally released the film in 2022. 

“I thought [The Batman] was really good,” said Isabella Salti, junior. “At first, I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of Robert Pattinson playing Batman, but after watching it, he became my favorite actor to take on the role.”

After watching “The Batman” twice, I can honestly say that this movie is one of the greatest “comic book” films I have seen. In a time where the majority of mainstream films focus on fan-service over substance, it’s refreshing to finally see a unique and artistic take on a well-established character. 

The plot of “The Batman” is intriguing and also manages to balance action with the story. Instead of filling the movie with unnecessary action scenes, they were able to create a superhero film that focuses more on the plot rather than on mindless fighting. With that said, many people were upset over the “slow pace” of the film, given that it runs almost three hours in length. However,  I believe that every minute was worthwhile and truly had a contribution to the plot. 

One of my favorite aspects of the film is the accurate portrayal of Bruce Wayne, as well as the impeccable performance by Pattinson. While Wayne, for the past few decades, has been depicted as a suave playboy who often socializes with the wealthy, Reeves’ Batman is much more realistic as he has a much darker and introverted personality, most likely caused by the traumatic event of his parents’ death. 

Wayne’s grim personality is mirrored by the atmosphere of Gotham, which is shown through the color palette of the movie itself. Rather than having a lot of the scenes in broad daylight, most of the film takes place during the night, adding to the gritty aesthetic and intense storyline. 

“I thought that the [portrayal of Batman] was more interesting, comparatively, to previous Batmans,” said Serene Safvi, senior. 

Although fans of the DC comics as well as regular film-watchers seem to agree that this movie was perfect in every regard, there are some viewers who disagree with this opinion.

“I did not enjoy the movie,” said Maurice Tobiano, senior. “I thought [The Batman] was disorganized and if you did not understand the history, you would not be able to understand the movie itself. I also think that [Robert Pattinson’s] portrayal of Batman was overdramatized.”

The great thing about watching movies, and big blockbusters such as “The Batman,” is that everyone has differing opinions. But, as someone who enjoys both comic book films and non-comic book films alike, I genuinely believe that regardless of one’s taste in movies, anyone can enjoy “The Batman.”

To buy tickets visit https://www.fandango.com/the-batman-2022-223002/movie-overview