Batman

Remek módja annak, hogy új utat járjanak be, és ne okozzanak csalódást a Nolan által elkényeztetett közönségnek. Matt Reeves egy bajnok, hogy ilyen egyszerű cselekményből három óra alatt ilyen magával ragadó, minden jelenetével mámorító látványosságot készített. Sok jelenet szándékos lassúsága, a kifinomult beállításuk alaposabban stilizálja a szereplőket, és építi a mocskos, korrupt környezet reménytelenségének sötét légkörét. Giacchino felismerhetetlen, és főleg a feszültséggel teli jelenetekben átlépi saját kreativitásának árnyékát, a színészek jól megválasztottak és rendezettek (Farrell ismét a legkiemelkedőbb), és az új Batmobil szuper bevezetése sem hiányzik. Ami elveszi a film potenciálját, az az alacsony hozzáférhetősége - ennyire sötét lelke, egy pszichopata gyilkos keresésének koncepciójával kombinálva, melyet Fincher a Hetedik című filmje erősen inspirálta, némi grafikai erőszakra is szüksége volt. Itt Batman a legnagyobb dühében ököllel arcba veri a gonoszt, és még csak nem is vérzik az orra. És a filmben több hasonló, néha tisztán logikai képtelenség is van, ami szöges ellentétben áll a fantasztikusan kidolgozott filmes részletekkel. (2022.03.13)

This is an intimate, depressing, gothic noir emo that at times looks like a nightmare of a light-headed sociopath, on the one hand lonely, on the other thrown into a claustrophobic space where law and crime embrace each other so tightly that it is impossible to distinguish them. A cleverly adapted origin story and a tale of a man consumed by revenge are superimposed on an almost Fincher-esque thriller. It's slow, sometimes driven to maximum effect, backed by the famous Riddler... three hours doesn't seem like a problem to me, because Reeves does it with precision, heavy-handedly, and unlike Snyder, it's not a masquerade at the bottom of dead mannequins, but still a human drama - even if simplified compared to Nolan. Pattinson fits the role perfectly, but the main asset is Paul Dano as the king of the incels. Reeves has delivered his own similarly willful project like Villeneuve recently did. For me, it's a hundred times better than the comically depressing Joker charade and several levels above the DC duds of the last decade. Finally the darkness breathes, the scars don't heal and the rats gnaw at the flesh. (2022.02.28)

It's impossible not to see a hundred or more sources of inspiration; from 1970s Lumet to thriller Fincher to early Proyas. Ditto when it comes to the inspiration for specific comics, games and cartoons featuring the Dark Knight. And yet, it's purely Reeves's singular vision that doesn't go for traditional blockbuster gilding. It builds on atmosphere, grime, big city corruption, style (just the camera and lighting work), subliminal tension and pacing (or lack thereof). Gotham is more of a character than most of the ensemble. Pattinson plays Batman purely through stubborn silences and penetrating glances as a "voyeuristic inexperienced weirdo in a costume" instead of a traditional (super)hero. What Reeves didn't manage well, however, is the running time. Not that there's anything that feels out of place, and not that it drags, but several of the themes and characters (including Bruce) are so far down the road that they could (and should) be in the eventual sequel. That said, as an origin story of a grounded Bat-universe, it’s flawless. (2022.03.02)

A truly dark take on Batman — though let’s be honest, anything else wouldn’t feel right for the character. This version, however, has a slightly different kind of darkness compared to Christopher Nolan’s. It leans more into the comic book vibe, which actually works in its favor. The runtime feels appropriate for the story, and I appreciated that the filmmakers didn’t blatantly reveal the villain from the start, which made the surprise much more effective for me. Even Robert Pattinson impressed me; though he played the role with his usual restraint in terms of emotion, I didn’t expect him to be such a force. The action, especially the car chases, were top-notch — almost reminiscent of Mad Max, which is a big plus. I think what kept me from giving it five stars was the lack of a standout moment in the script. The story was more straightforward and simpler than I anticipated. Still, as a dark detective tale set in an alternate New York, it works really well. (2022.03.24)

Matt Reeves delivers a confident vision of the world of Batman, going in a completely different direction than his predecessors. As he sees it, Gotham is an ugly and dirty city, and its inhabitants are tired of corruption and crime. So it's no surprise that Reeves’s and Pattinson's Batman is no pushover. The new Batman doesn't gloss over the inspiration in crime dramas from the 1990s and thrillers from the 1970s, recalling Se7en, Serpico and Death Wish. And there's a lot more talking and investigating, as Reeves made a primarily crime thriller set in a much more realistic and believable world than his predecessors. It looks nice, it sounds great, and Robert Pattinson is very good as Batman. Unfortunately, he's not very good as Bruce Wayne, and overall the work with his “civilian hero” is a bit jarring. Mainly because despite the three-hour running time, they ultimately didn't quite manage to pull all the motives, storylines and twists to a satisfying conclusion, making some elements of The Batman feel sort of half-hearted. In short, there's an awful lot to deal with, and Reeves doesn't always manage to pull it off to a satisfying conclusion. Less is sometimes more, on the other hand it all still works enough to make a good film. (2022.02.28)