The Batman: How does Vengeance measure up?
I have been waiting for this movie since the first trailer. Batman beats the crap out of a violent thug right in front of other lowlives after they ask “who are you?” When he’s done hammer fisting the thug on the ground to pulp, he lifts his head and says–”I’m vengeance.” My response was: I’m hooked.
Now the real question all Batman fans are wondering after the phenomenal success of the Christopher Nolan films is, does this movie disappoint? I’ve seen every Batman movie from Adam West, to Michael Keaton, Christian Bale and even–God help me–Ben Affleck. I can state as an avid Batman enthusiast, this film is well worth the price of admission. It wasn't your typical Batman movie, however, and belonged to a genre all its own that may or may not be what you were looking for when seeing this superhero portrayed. Consequently I still think it did an excellent job despite the new approach and we can dive into why.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman: After Twilight, I know it's hard for some of us to take Pattinson seriously in anything–but in this film it was like he became the character. Pattinson accurately portrays a traumatized, socially awkward, intense stoic who really doesn't care about his own life–only wreaking vengeance on the lives of the corrupt and depraved. Human emotion is difficult for him, and most of his acting is done with his eyes. Pattinson plays a simultaneously dangerous (to the criminal and corrupt), emotionally damaged and sympathetic wealthy orphan who’s lost the ability to take any joy out of life beyond his mission. Basically, this Batman is so intense he would scare all the vampires in Twilight to death.
Too Dark to Be Bruce Wayne? This brings me to the only critique (which is really a matter of personal preference) of the portrayal, which is Pattinson’s Batman reminded me very much of a younger, softer Rorschach more than Bruce Wayne. In this film, Batman spends every night out on the streets fighting criminals, he keeps a journal to remind himself of the horrific things he saw every night, and has little to no faith in mankind’s capacity for good.
By the end of the film Pattinson’s Batman resolves to become more like Christian Bale’s portrayal: a protective knight to give the people hope instead of just a violent vigilante punishing the wicked. Now, while I have no issue with the latter, the former is more of what Batman is traditionally supposed to be. But as I’ll get into later, this film took a darker turn and had an approach all its own.
A Crime Thriller with awesome action and very cool outfits: The movie isn't modeled after the past Batman films or even any superhero film I can recall–it definitely is a hero story, but the style is like a Netflix mini crime/drama/action/thriller. The film is 3 hours long, and while there were no slow parts or useless scenes, the plot never stopped moving. It was a mystery, and the detective aspect of Batman’s character came out strongly in this movie more than others. It was a slow burn in which one thing led to another and characters developed but the stakes just kept growing until the very end of the film. When it was over I felt like I binge watched a show more than a movie.
The action scenes were well worth the wait, and the choreography was realistic, brutal and massively entertaining.
Not for the faint of heart: The entire movie takes place largely at night (as most Batman films do) and there isn't a lot of humor. I found this refreshing from the recent MCU films in which I can’t go five minutes without someone making a lame joke. The tone of the film is very dark, the criminal element is excessively filthy and unglamorized, but all of that was necessary to show the viewer why Gotham so desperately needs Batman. The primary antagonist is a serial killer committing crimes the whole film and our hero is picking up traces to catch him. But the film delves deeply into Gotham’s corruption as well as the consequences of morally compromising oneself in an already diluted city.
A Good person is hard to find: This movie doesn't sugarcoat the sins of mankind or the dealings of the corrupt. I appreciated this portrayal because in the real world good people who can’t be corrupted are a rare thing. However, it's imperative we have them in the story or else the viewer is hit with a complete sense of hopelessness. We have four main characters that we’re supposed to like: Batman, Catwoman, Alfred, and Gordan. All of these characters did an exceptional job. We’ve covered Batman so I’ll take a brief look at the others.
Catwoman was morally compromised by stealing and remaining undercover with the criminal element but still sympathetic. She isn't out to change or save Gotham but she wants to protect her friend. When mobsters kill her friend she’s out for revenge and eventually stays in the game because she cares for Batman. Her traumatic past made us empathize with her, and she was a self-sufficient character by having her own motives, goals, etc. Her character developed nicely throughout the film and had strong chemistry with Batman.
Alfred is always a gem and appreciated in the Batman world because he’s the closest thing Bruce has to a family. In this film we got less of him, but for his few appearances he still looked out for Bruce and showed an innate desire to care for him.
Gordon is surrounded by dirty cops, elected officials, politicians, and pretty much every other manner of lowlife you could imagine but he still wants to protect Gotham. He trusts Batman (despite not knowing who he is) because he knows he isn't dirty, and he's actually out to stop crime. Their relationship was one of the more encouraging ones in the film because it showed how the importance of Batman having one honest cop on his side couldn't be understated.
Viewers and people in general appreciate seeing good people in a film full of terrible ones. The same way one kind deed leaves a lasting impression, in this movie we the audience are right there with Batman looking out at a world full of corruption. Any character that shows moral backbone leaves an impression on us and gives us a tiny bit of hope. This was also shown really well between the relationship of Batman and Catwoman. Because initially he assumes she’s like everyone else and she has to prove him wrong.
The Bat and the Cat: I’ve never been a big proponent of Batman and Catwoman, but this film definitely changed my mind. This was my favorite portrayal of Catwoman, and definitely my favorite relationship between her and the caped crusader. There isn't any smut or even more than a couple brief kisses between the two, but their characters compliment each other and develop throughout the film. I appreciated for once Batman having a strong love interest who was able to be in the fight with him, have her own agenda, and yet still convince me she loved him despite all their character’s differences. Catwoman falls for him because he’s brave and stalwart enough to try and change Gotham (even though she sees it as a lost effort), and he eventually cares for her because she proves to be a compassionate person who’s motivated by loyalty to a friend and not money.
Blurred, but still a Hero’s story: This film could have easily been shifted in a more hopeless nihilistic direction, but thanks to the actions of a few characters, and the finale, we were given a light at the end of the tunnel. With Batman being constantly questioned, his motives, his actions, his methods to fighting crime, it’s easy for the viewer to wonder if the writers are even going to conclude the movie making him look like the good guy. My greatest fear would be that Batman thinks he isn't a hero and wakes up to realize he’s just like the criminal’s he’s fighting, and that he isn't doing any good. This fear is addressed, and the writers put their two cents in–but thankfully it didn't ruin the film for me.
Making it simple: the writers seemed to be equating Batman's fighting evil with the rise in crime and emergence of psychopaths like the Riddler.
NO.
I’ve heard this argument in Netflix’s Daredevil and I thought it was weak then. Responding to evil, defending ourselves, fighting back, none of these things make us responsible for the actions of violent unstable people. Anyone who’s watched 24 knows “We don’t negotiate with terrorists.” Why? Because if a madman is going to blow up a city he’ll do it regardless of what you say or do and that isn't your fault. Batman stopping murder, assault, and punishing the perpetrators, doesn’t put the Riddler’s crimes on his head. It also makes them nothing alike. The only reason I even have to mention this is because it did seem the writers were trying to give some credence to the idea that Batman and the Riddler had something in common. When one of the Riddler’s men passes out from Batman giving him a beating, he says “I’m vengeance…” And Batman looks horrified as if he thinks there’s some correlation between the actions of mass murderers and himself.
NO.
Don’t try to make the hero the villain–we know the difference:
The character of the Riddler grew up under horrific circumstances, resolved that the world was corrupt and unjust–so as a result he plans to kill hundreds of people.
Batman sees the world is corrupt and unjust, but he resolves to fight the corruption and protect the innocent.
The line was clear for me and I’m certain for most of the audience, but I didn't appreciate them attempting to make the characters in the film act like Batman was becoming anything like the antagonist. I agreed Batman needed to stand for hope and the belief that the city wasn't lost, like Christian Bale’s portrayal in the Christopher Nolan series–but him believing he was too harsh on the criminal element was an aspect I could have lived without. The reason this didn't ruin the movie for me, was that at the end Batman does have a conversation with the Riddler where he bursts his bubble and destroys the idea that he was ever anything like him. Also, actions speak louder than words–and even if characters in the movie are saying one thing I watch for what actually happens.
Conclusion: The movie isn't like other Batman Portrayals, but the style, characters, acting, action and romance makes it a worthy addition to the roster. I would rank this Batman below Christian Bale’s, but above the past actors' renditions. Don’t take my word for it though–carve out three hours, go see the movie. Let me know what you think.
-Jubilee