Some Takeaways in The Batman
A theatrical masterpiece in the year is reviewed and analyzed with PMI Thinking Tools in this issue. Matt Reeves’s The Batman is the subject of this issue. A film in which centers around a vigilante venturing into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind clues to unmask the truth of corruption.
Reeves’ The Batman brings us to a different portrayal of Batman. Inspired by its famous comic books, the filmmaker perfectly draws the classic detective Batman. This film is able to lure the audience into the brutal Gotham City along with its lore. This three hour long film focuses on The Batman himself rather than the famous Bruce Wayne, the true identity behind the caped-crusader. Furthermore, Reeves is able to pull off a different perspective of the origin story of Batman.
PMI Thinking Tool
Plus Minus Interesting or PMI for short is developed by Dr. Edward de Bono. It is a critical thinking tool to examine ideas or concepts from more than one perspective. This thinking tool will be used to review and analyze deeper The Batman by Matt Reeves.
Plus Points
Having certified as Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with 85% approval rating, The Batman has a lot of plus points. Technically speaking, the cinematographer, Greig Frasser, spoils the audiences with his reinvention of Batman. Frasser managed to keep the dark enigma of the Dark Knight without underlighting the actors. Michael Giacchino, the composer, creates a dark symphony for this film. This music knows how to relate to the story and the expressions of each character in the film. As for the actor, especially Robert Pattinson who was being heavily criticized during the casting announcement, knows how to deliver lines without saying his lines. Focusing on Batman rather than Bruce Wayne, Pattinson surely spends his scenes under the mask, allowing him only to communicate through his eyes. Other actors also know how to deliver their characters perfectly. The notable director, Matt Reeves, knows how to portray his vision of Gotham’s Lore and The Dark Knight perfectly, the same as the comic books. There may be a saying that realism kills art, but the realism of the brutal and corrupt Gotham intoxicates the audiences. The realism of Reeves’s Gotham is the actual art.
Minus Points
Being categorized as a superhero film, The Batman is not exactly a superhero film we often see in theaters. A new take on The Batman is different from its famous predecessors The Dark Knight Trilogy. While The Dark Knight Trilogy portrays Batman as a hero and hope for the people, The Batman is a slow burn detective film. The slow burn is way too long for some audiences, the second act also circles only to riddles and clues. Hearing the name of Batman, audiences perhaps link this character to other famous superhero characters in DC Comics such as Superman, Wonderwoman, and others. Nevertheless, Reeves’ The Batman is not related to the DC Extended Universe, which means there will be no Justice League in Reeves’ universe.
Interesting Points
This fresh Batman portrayal on screen serves us wide and deep insights on Gotham’s lore. In this film, every single element in the city seems alive. The origin story of each character is shown implicitly. It is as if we know who or what they will be in their next journey. The most interesting part in this film is how Reeves does not put any alley cliches, the one with Bruce Wayne’s parents being murdered in alley which later push him into being a vigilante, yet that story is being explored deeper and is still there in the root. Moreover, the origin of The Batman is shown throughout the three act story. It is shown by how the caped-crusader started his journey as a vigilante by posing as fear and vengeance in the darkness, haunting every criminal in the city. In his journey protecting the city from a sadistic killer, the Riddler, he finds himself having self-conflict, struggling to find a way to protect his brutal city. As the third act appears, it is clear that he eventually becomes the hope and the hero that we know of.
Apart from the plot, another interesting point from The Batman is the creative marketing they manage to pull. The viral billboard to promote The Batman caught everyone’s attention. They created a guerilla marketing campaign on a billboard, duct taping the Riddler’s victim in Batman symbol with a message of “No More Lies”. This action resonates with the Riddler, as if it is exactly something he would do in the film. Another form of viral marketing from The Batman is the launch of the rataalada website. This website is the platform the main characters use to communicate through riddles with each other, especially Riddler. Through the rataalada website, audiences are given some riddles to get some secret archives from the film. The audiences are being drawn to be part of the film.
At last
The Batman is indeed interesting to watch. My takeaway on The Batman is that this film is fitting more as a thriller/mystery/crime genre rather than superhero movies because of the slow burn plot. It is interesting to watch progress of The Batman himself becoming a symbol to binary oppositions, darkness to light as well as vengeance to hope. Each audience may have different takes on this film. So, what’s yours?
