Twilight Star Plays Best New Batman

LH Movie Reviews, The newest DC movie starring Robert Pattinson arrives on HBO Max on April 19th

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Araminta Siegling

“The Batman” was released on March 4th and had an opening weekend bigger than all movies released so far this year.

Kaitlyn Brown, Reporter

From teenage vampire to brooding superhero, Robert Pattinson’s lead role in The Batman blew me away. It’s nostalgic to see heroes brought up time and time again, and sometimes the new iteration can turn out to be a one-and-done movie. The Batman took on one of DC’s most loved superheroes and created what could be argued as the best representation of Batman seen on screen.

As the plot was brewing, new characters were brought in every few scenes. All the citizens of Gotham had their heads turning as their local vigilante became a detective for a multiple homicide case. Previously, Batman has been a hero almost disguised as a villain, but the turn of plots forced Pattinson’s portrayal to show the hero’s hidden good side. Constant plot changes and dramatic scenes pushed the plot forward and gave a feel to the almost 3-hour long movie that allowed the length to be forgotten about completely. Going into the movie with some knowledge of cast, length, and even directing, I was still able to stay surprised every minute.

Big names and small ones combined to create a cast that hit all the right marks. Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), helped the movie take a large leap. Not only did all these large actors help create such a good plot, they also thickened it with the on-screen dynamics. Every voice, every action scene, and every mood change made the film incredible. Batman has been a source of fear, Christain Bale, Micheal Keaton, and even the smaller DC roles such as Ben Affleck have all played this superhero with the added effect of perfect Bruce Wayne personas. Pattinson took on a new storyline and blew away the theaters with his dark, almost horror-like Batman entrances.

With footsteps that pushed that horror effect, The Batman almost made my mind spin and think of thrillers like Halloween rather than other average superhero movies. The dynamic created between Batman and Bruce Wayne, allowed Pattinson to take on a younger version of Gotham’s least favorite and most popular billionaire. Many others portraying the two simultaneously, perfected the balance. Bruce Wayne’s arrogance and Batman’s ability to create fear. Robert Pattinson brought it all to another level, and his approach seemed fitting for the story. Alongside this new scary superhero came introductions to other exciting stories, and room for villains to take advantage of Pattinson’s young Bruce Wayne. 

Jokes versus riddles are the only difference of villains from the 2000s Batman trilogy to today’s newest blockbuster. How many times are directors going to get the perfect casting of evil laughs? How many times are viewers going to love it and want more? The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, used duct tape and scare tactics to leave the audience always wanting more clues. Using the more detective side of Batman, the movie allowed this villain to be intense and creative, and Paul Dano hit every mark. Comparisons can barely be made on all of Batman’s bad guys because the similarities are almost everywhere, but I enjoyed the change of dynamic from the classic Batman and the Joker.

Change came from all different directions in Matt Reeves’, The Batman. Reeves wrote the story alongside Peter Craig, and within his creation, he allowed the introduction of Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman onto the movie screens. All the thought put into the screenwriting shows on the big screen, from the smallest details of Kravitz’s character owning many stray cats to the hidden stories that all lineup. In the newest take on the big vigilante’s story, Batman actually works with somebody other than comic book sidekick, Robin. So, as not only villain and hero dynamics change, character traits also begin to differ from what is expected.

Comparisons of villains, heroes, plots, and many others can’t all really be proved when The Batman is put up next to Christain Bale’s Batman Begins, because one is already a series and the other is standalone – for now. With Reeves’ movie attracting many views and passing $600 million in the worldwide box offices within the first couple of weeks, is there a chance that much of the cast and crew could come back for more? Pattinson’s breakthrough as a superhero has opened up the board to many more. After the ending every moviegoer couldn’t have guessed, a series would be incredible to tie up all the possibilities, and open up the screen to more villains and stories. ulture

With his past in the romance side of the movie industry, Robert Pattinson had me a bit nervous for his role in The Batman, but every negative thought I had was wiped away as his incredible performance made one of the most intriguing films I’ve seen from a DC Superhero. It will be a long time before I listen to Nirvana’s Something in The Way and don’t think of Gotham’s own vigilante. Next time you’re at the movies, don’t be afraid of the 2hr 56min label, because The Batman will keep you on the edge of your seats, always wanting more.