During the pandemic, every event was ushered in with a quiet excitement, as if you might scare a new Covid variant into existence if you get too excited about anything. When the first trailers for The Batman hit, that excitement was anything but quiet. The sound of the tape ripping from the ream as the DC logo stuttered onto the screen caused a stir in my little Bat-fan heart. It signaled something different, quiet, disturbed, and serious, in a way modern Bat-films had not been. We have had the zany Adam West of the 60’s; the brooding and intimate Keaton/Burton of the 80’s; the unhinged Schumacher universe of the 90’s; the grounded realism of Bale/Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy of the 00’s; the angry edgelord Snyderverse of the 10’s; the comedic (and incredible) whiplash built of Lego and classic Arnett delivery. Now in the 20’s, we are getting a taste of Matt Reeves, who must have been one of those kids that mixed every soda at the fountain stand, because The Batman is a suicide cocktail of the last 60 years of Bat-cinema. Not every flavor is distinct, but they are all entirely present, one way or another. And while I sat in the theater soaking up this concoction, I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone else in the theater was enjoying the taste, because when it comes down to it, this iteration was a Batman Film for fans of both the Man and the Medium. Riddle me this: What has no taste but makes a living telling other people how something should taste? A critic.

I wanted to go in this film as blind as possible when it was clear the film would involve riddles and mystery. Outside of the trailers and some press junket headlines, I really didn’t know what the film was about. I did this in hopes that things would unfold in a way that would entice the senses, but having come out the other side, I can honestly say knowing the premise will not make much of a difference. The film follows Bruce Wayne in his second year as The Batman, established as a shadow behind every criminal, a symbol darker than any version we have seen on screen to date. What Nolan and Burton paid lip service to, Reeves delivers with visceral imagery. The Batman is an unrestrained lunatic that stalks seemingly random bad guys, all while under the night sky emblemized with his classic, shattered symbol. While violently righting wrongs, the story begins with The Riddler committing a heinous murder of a high profile figure, one that has detective Gordan calling in the Batman to help solve the crime. This is the first time we, as an audience, are actually put in Batman’s position. We aren’t privy to any information he isn’t. We get to solve the crime with him. We get to turn the pages of the comic books that made him the world’s greatest detective at the point when he hasn’t yet realized that is who he is to become. It feels thrilling in a fresh way. The film spends its runtime ruminating on the meaning of justice when the means is vengeance. Its not a question Batman films have shied away from, but they certainly didn’t spend the entirety of the film on it. Bruce and Batman are on display in equal measure in a way you have never seen before. Tim Burton pointed at Bruce and told us he was a weirdo, Reeves is showing us how weird Mr.Wayne really is.

Before we discuss the delivery, let’s discuss our deliverers. I have been a fan of Robert Pattinson since his Twilight years. He was largely the reason I saw every single film in the theater. Well, that and because it made a really great date night. But his later filmography is obviously where he began to shine, including my personal favorite, Good Time. The rest of the cast is also a bright spot, specifically Jeffery Wright as Gordon, Colin Farrel as Penguin, and Zoe Kravits as Selina Kyle. This isn’t to say our lead villain, Paul Dano as The Riddler, isn’t great, his line delivery is quite the spectacle, but it feels a bit off brand for The Riddler we know as fans. Instead of being a man who loves puzzles with a bent for the spectacular, we get an intelligent psychopath ala films like Seven or Saw, which clearly inspired the cinematography and general tone of the film as a whole. Jeffry Wright plays as good a Gordan as we have ever seen, but what really sets him apart is that we finally get to see him really working with The Batman, almost like a partner. Wright makes the relationship believable. Colin Farrell makes the least sexy villain sexy as hell because he can’t not. That’s all I really have to say about him. And then we have Ms.Kravits, a Catwoman for the ages, someone who was able to bring to life a character that since Michelle Pfieffer has consistently missed the mark. Kravits moves like an animated character in every frame she is in, and while it feels detracting in some moments, it elevates others, just like having a real cat.

As for the answer to the real question, the mystery at hand, is The Batman a good film? Well, it certainly could be said so for long time fans, but I am not so sure this is true for the casual viewer. The girl next to me literally fell asleep, which I wouldn’t have noticed since my eyes were glued to the screen, but her boyfriend nudged her and loudly said, “Are you awake!?” In all honesty, if I had one major critique, its the runtime. This film gives us so much, but the cost is the runtime. At 3 hours, the film has no real consistent pace that lets you know which act you are in, or how many acts there will be. If you are into the film, you may not care, but there are moments that drag, especially for a murder mystery. The film rocks back and forth between detective games, murder psychopaths, seedy nightlife, and The Batman kicking ass, which all sounds great, but in practice, its a bit off. Each of these moments vary in length and come at the same pace as watching 6 episodes of a miniseries instead of one well-made film. On the other hand, every image on the screen is a beauty to behold. From the disassembled Batmobile’s rocket engine to the large sweeping scenes of New York/Chicago/London Gotham, all the way down to the gritty streets and excellent costume design. In fact, a highlight of the film is Reeves’ Bat-suit. If Burton’s was comic, Schumacher’s was Hollywood, and Nolan’s was military, Reeves’ was homemade with love. It was stapled together by a man who only knew he needed to survive on the streets his family built. It is sad to say that the films first act is its best act, it really feels on track for the first hour, but after being lead into the mystery, the film find itself in the weeds and lore of Gotham’s ruling underclass, something comic book readers and gamers will know well by this point, but will leave everyone else a bit lost. Its not that Reeves’ relies on you being a fan, but it certainly helps, as lots of interactions go unexplained, rising and falling without much to explain it. I think being a fan makes it feel like you are getting the inside track on a story everyone else is missing out on. The runtime is also especially galling when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm balanced the lore of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Batman, and a great detective story with real emotional depth in under 90 minutes almost 30 years prior to this film.

Its hard to be critical of this love letter to Batman. It pays homage to films of all walks and the great Batman mysteries of the comic books and graphic novels of the last 30 years at least. Its a welcome change from the DCEU up to this point, but it does feel a bit like a high budget, late stage episode of the Fox’s Gotham television series. Actually, that’s not entirely fair, not really, but when you make a suicide soda like this film, with a little taste of every on-screen and on-page Batman, you’re bound to pull in the odd off-brand Dr.Thunder. I look forward to the future of this film series and I pray for its ultimate success. Pattinson, Reeves, and the entire team brought to life something we only got a glimpse of when Heath Ledger made the Joker a reality; when Michael Keaton asked us to get nuts; when Bat-nipples taught us we could go too far; when DeVito showed us how far we could really go; when Tommy Lee Jones ripped up as much scenery as the makeup on his Two-Face. The Batman can really do no wrong as long as it keeps being true to us. True to the fans. Long live Batman and good luck Matt and Patt.