As the lights dim, the screen illuminates, and the smell of buttery popcorn fills the movie theater, people eagerly wait to see a hyped-up movie. However, this caped crusader movie is different from the Batman movies we all know and love. 

The Batman (2022) was directed by Matt Reeves and stars Robert Pattison. With a runtime of 3 hours and a well thought out plot, it never loses its touch and never bores us. With Batman prowling around Gotham City fighting crime, we rarely see his true identity which is the rich playboy billionaire: Bruce Wayne. As this movie more so focuses on the mask and cowl rather than the man behind it. With Gotham’s dark and ominous tone, we follow Batman as he  deciphers the Riddler’s Riddles and clues as he tries to stop him from preying on more victims with his cruel and maniacal contraptions which always leave Batman on his toes.

Another thing to credit is the acting in the movie. Paul Dano plays The Riddler who was the main villain in the movie, and he acted out Riddler as a maniac and insane person. In an interview, Paul Dano said that he at one point wrapped his head in plastic saran wrap to capture Riddler being this cautious and well thought out person as to not leave evidence behind of his DNA. This action endangered Paul Dano’s own health by trapping all the heat from his head inside the saran wrap, turning his face red when he took it off.

Cinematography is a big part of a movie’s success. From Gotham’s dark and moody atmosphere to the dark alleyways, the pouring rain, and the lighting of the streets, Gotham was set in the perfect mood as a crime infested city. One of the best cinematography moments in the movie was the scene where Batman was beating up thugs in a pitch-black hallway. Where the only lighting that illuminated the screen was the gun fire from the thug’s guns firing off in the dark while Batman beat them to a pulp.

One of the things that separates this Batman movie from the others is the overall dark tone of the movie and of Batman. We know Bruce Wayne puts on the cowl and cape and turns from dashing playboy billionaire to the masked vigilante defending Gotham. However, in this movie we don’t see that playboy billionaire, but we see a disheveled Bruce Wayne, looking like a man who has lost his life and has shut himself out from the rest of the world. In the movie, the producers felt that the disheveled Bruce was a much better depiction for a man who goes out on streets in the middle of the night to fight crime. During an interview, Robert Pattison said that it made getting into character much easier.

Another good element from the movie was the background music, which added on to the dark and ominous tone. One of the most iconic songs from the movie was “Something in the way” by Nirvana. This song was featured in the trailer of the movie and near the end of the movie when Batman is seen helping citizens of Gotham from the aftermath of the Riddler’s attack. The Batman score embodied the dark and broody caped crusader battling the Riddler one scene where we hear the score is the opening scene right after he assaulted a gang of thugs saving someone’s life in a dimly lit train station.

Overall, The Batman movie is a great and well thought movie and was different from its predecessor movies in more ways than one. We see the take of a more brutal Batman and a more dark and criminal Gotham City.