"The Batman" Review: The Greatest Depiction of The World's Greatest Detective
The Batman is difficult to write about because there are so many things to talk about. Where do you start? Simply put, this may be the greatest depiction of the world’s greatest detective on the big screen!
The film starts in a Gotham City where criminals fear the bat symbol in the sky, but the Gotham Police Department doesn’t quite trust the masked vigilante yet. That’s not entirely true, at least one person does, James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). So when the mayor is killed by The Riddler (Paul Dano), Batman (Robert Pattinson) gets to visit the scene under skeptical eyes.
This is the crux of this Neo-noir film. Key political figures in Gotham are getting picked off by The Riddler one at a time and Batman has to solve it. Along the way his paths intertwine with Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) aka Catwoman. I’d rather you go into the film as cold as possible so that you can enjoy the movie like I did, but I will talk about key elements here that don’t spoil the plot.
The direction from writer/director Matt Reeves is spectacular. This is the same man that brought us films like Cloverfield, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and War of The Planet of The Apes. So every moment and action sequence is well thought out and planned. Reeves partnership with cinematographer, Greig Fraser, paints Gotham in shadows and red. The red hues of dusk and dawn are used throughout the film for exterior shots. Fire burns and bullets also fly to illuminate characters with natural lighting. It sets a tone for this film that is kept throughout.
The ensemble cast at work is amazing in part because of the writing and due to the diligence of the film’s performers. The characters feel lived in and real. They aren’t comic portrayals as we’ve seen in some iterations of Batman movies, but people with histories. While some of the history is told in the film, much of it is in the physicality of the actors. Zoe Kravitz is on one as she plays three roles in this film in my opinion. There’s the girl who works in the club, Selina and Catwoman. Each hat she wears has varying levels of vulnerability. Jeffrey Wright gives a solid, subdued character performance as usual. You may hear people say that Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot and it’s true. The makeup and prosthetics have a lot to do with that physically, but he brings the trauma that Oz (as he’s called) would have gone through over the years into this character who has a chip on his shoulder with visions of power. Multiple outlets have reported that Paul Dano lost sleep in getting into the Riddler’s mindset and it shows on screen. Not bags under his eyes, but the twisted evil genius is there. His motivation is palpable.
Perhaps the major question you want me to answer is how is Pattinson as Batman. If I answered that, I’d taint the film for you either way. However, this is one of the first times I’ve seen Batman as an authentically feared entity. Criminals are supposed to fear him and they have in prior films but not like this. Here, the score from Michael Giacchino is fantastic being both brooding and haunting. It can play as a horror score at times and western showdown at others. Sound and the lack of it is used to accentuate the mythic status Batman is starting to achieve in this world. Reeves camera pushes into the darkness and looks for the boogie man like it would in a horror film.
The film is written in a style reminiscent of an old gumshoe. Batman narrates at points throughout the movie. As I said in the opening, this may be the greatest depiction of the world’s greatest detective because finally, we see the intelligent, detective side of Batman. We’re led throughout the two hour and fifty five minute run time by screenwriting that gives us what we need to know and keeps us asking what’s coming next. So use the restroom ahead of time and try not to get a large icee. This is absolutely one you don’t want to miss!
Rating: A
"Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" Review
I’ll be up front with you, I’ve never watched an episode of Teen Titans Go!. I’m aware of the Cartoon Network animated series that began airing in 2013, and that people have different opinions about the show itself. I’ve only seen clips here and there, so watching the film adaptation of the series was my first time experiencing this property. Other than the clips I’ve seen and the trailers, this film piqued my interest when it was announced that they got Nicolas Cage to voice Superman, since he was slated to be Superman in Tim Burton’s planned Superman Lives movie twenty years ago before it collapsed. Not knowing what to expect, it certainly won me over with this: Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a much more enjoyable experience than last fall’s Justice League, and some parts in this film had me howling in laughter.
Every superhero left and right has his or her movie. In this world, you’re not considered a real superhero until you get a movie made about you. Robin (Scott Menville) dreams of having his own film, but none of the superheroes take him or the Teen Titans, which consist of Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Strong), and Starfire (Hynden Walch) seriously. Popular film director Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell) tells the team that in order to get a film made about their exploits, they need to find an arch nemesis. The Titans might find one in Slade (Will Arnett, who also produced the film), who has nefarious plans of his own.
One of the things that I enjoyed about this film is how they sendup all the comic book films that have populated the multiplexes lately. In a sense, whereas the Deadpool films are aimed at an adult crowd, this caters to the kids. Like with last year’s The LEGO Batman Movie, directors Peter Rida Michail and co-creator Aaron Horvath (who also wrote this with co-creator Michael Jelenic) incorporated references of past DC films, TV shows, and comics. No characters are safe, from Batman (there’s a killer joke that WB will basically make any film that’s remotely related to him), Superman, and Wonder Woman, to the most obscured, like the Challengers of the Unknown. While the jokes are mostly catered to the younger demographic, the filmmakers get away with some extremely funny dark humor that adults can appreciate.
Unlike the tone that’s on display with some of the past DC films, this film knows exactly what type of film it’s trying to be. It’s self aware, and it embraces its roots as a film geared towards children, which is to entertain us for 88 minutes. There is an interesting dynamic in which the directors and animators switch up the animation style whenever it drifts away from the reality of the film universe which helps enhance the story. It feels a bit like a cross between Looney Tunes with a dash of anime. Voice wise, the dynamic between the Titans is good, and you can hear the years of teamwork and how they care for one another in their vocal acting. Arnett once again nails the over masculine type character as Slade, and how over the top he portrays it. The cameos did there part, and Cage as Superman was perfection in my eyes. It makes you wish that he would get another opportunity to voice Superman down the road. Also, the songs are catchy enough that you might have a hard time getting them out of your head.
As for any drawbacks, there’s not enough meat to the bones, and it basically feels like a feature length episode of the series. Even though it runs at 88 minutes, at times, it was as if the filmmakers were trying to figure out ways to pad out the runtime by stretching a comedy bit out or throwing things against the wall until something sticks. As the old saying goes, they had style over substance. There isn’t enough plot, and the film doesn’t go any deeper than you may anticipate going into it. Maybe it was because of the PG rating, but I was a little surprised that the name Deathstroke never gets mentioned once (since that’s Slade’s name in the comics). Finally, the DC animated short that precedes the film, involving the DC Super Hero Girls, felt a little off and choppy.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the show, chances are you will have a lot of fun with this film. Even if you haven’t watched the show at all, give it a shot. I know I’m not the target audience for this film, but I’ll admit that it has its charm to it, and I was laughing more than I should have. The real question is whether watching this film will lead to me and others to watching the series? There’s a strong likelihood that newbies like myself, may check out at least a few episodes. Be sure to stay around until the mid-credits, because some of the audience members around me lost their minds when it occurred. In terms of DC Animated Movies, I think The LEGO Batman Movie is better, but hey, it seems like Warner Animation may have a better grasp on the DC characters than the live action division. If you were looking something fun to watch this weekend with your family, or just a fan in general, I would recommend checking this out.
Rating: B