The Batman

Genre: Action, Drama, Crime
Rating: 15
Warnings: Violence, Some Gore

A new Batman interpretation, this time by director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson. It's hard not to compare any new Batman to the Dark Knight Trilogy, but this one is also dark and gritty, and incredibly enjoyable.

Bruce Wayne, genius billionaire blackbelt with no superpowers who regularly wins against beings with superpowers, can often be a textbook Mary Sue. The fact that he fights a lot of petty crime in a poverty-stricken city when he has the money and resources to fix most of those problems is a character plot hole for many, too. This Batman feels a lot more realistic, as an incredibly troubled man who feels like his money and influence wouldn't actually have any effect on the people who need it.

In fact, the city's corruption is a huge part of the plot. While the villain is just going after the politicians and officials who are undeniably abusing their power, it's a fun grey area. I wanted the Batman to succeed, but I kind of wanted the Riddler to do enough to make a difference. The Riddler himself is excellently written, and excellently portrayed by Paul Dano. A familiar villain, but not as overplayed as the Joker, he is exaggerated enough to live up to the comic book character people will expect, but still held within real life bounds. Question marks abound, but in a black hunting mask and using Zodiac-like symbols rather than in a bright green bodysuit. His use of codes and unfinished jokes lets him fit the name well.

Zoë Kravitz' Catwoman is yet another brilliant casting, and yet another believable character. Her motives are noble but her methods (and the life surrounding her) are criminal, her cats and bisexuality are portrayed in a positive light, and her costume is realistic. Likewise, the Penguin, Alfred and James Gordon are all well balanced portrayals. The story is engaging, the action is exciting and the visuals are excellent. Whether you're a Batman fan, a Robert Pattinson fan or just a general film fan, The Batman is a great film worth catching at the cinema. It would have been nice to have had one whole film without the Joker, but his last second appearance did show that this is the first film in a series, and that the Joker is not going to be the terrible Jared Leto version.