The Batman smashes into theaters

The Batman was released in theaters on Mar. 4 to huge success; it has a high Rotten Tomatoes score of 85% and an 8.4/10 on IMDB.  The COVID-19 pandemic had left the theater industry in peril, but the movie soared in theaters, grossing $521.4 million in the US as of Mar. 21. 

The Batman is set in Gotham City and features a version of Bruce Wayne, played by Robert Pattinson. In the movie, Batman is still very much dealing with the death of his parents and differs from his usual playboy image. This film is different from previous iterations of Batman as it features a much darker tone. While Batman has always had a grim setting and characters that focus more on morality and motivation instead of superhuman abilities, this movie has a darker feeling to it and explores feelings of abandonment and lower-class oppression. 

SPOILERS NEXT SECTION 

The movie starts off with the murder of Gotham’s mayor, leaving behind a broken city where crime is on the rise. At this point in the storyline, Batman has already been active in the streets of Gotham City for a while. He is called to inspect the Mayor’s murder because the murderer, known as the Riddler, is writing letters addressed to The Batman.

The Riddler played (Paul Dano), is seen in this film as a psychotic man who is obsessed with riding the city of corruption. Born an orphan and supposedly severely neglected as a child, he sees himself as one of the only people who can bring true change to Gotham city. He sees himself as a protector just like Batman, looking up to him throughout the movie. He is a highly intellectual individual who builds a cult of followers by the end of the movie.

And, we can’t forget Catwoman or her alter ego Selina Kyle ( Zoe Kravitz). She is a prominent Anti-Hero and she is only concerned with finding her friend Anika. Selina Kyle works at a nightclub housing the city’s rich and elite, and she is Batman’s eyes and ears throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, it’s seen that she has feelings for Batman and he for her, maybe leading to a future love interest. 

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As someone who has seen Twilight and did not have high hopes for The Batman, I was shocked. It was action-packed with just enough twists and turns to make it feel like I knew what was coming next but at the same time found out that I had guessed wrong the whole time. The movie is very graphic and not suitable for young children. There is a reason that this movie is rated PG-13.  This movie deals heavily with issues of abuse and abandonment as well as sex workers and a heavy political climate. 

I think that during the movie there could have been more of a backstory towards some of the characters. You were left with the feeling that they had done something terrible and it briefly says something about it but doesn’t go over the full scope on why The Riddler has specifically chosen to target them. Such as the character Gil Colson, who was exploiting the city’s wealth. We realize that he is bad and that he is not working for the good of the city but there were worse men to target. 

All in all, I thought that it was a wonderful movie and truly shows in-depth of how much we really need good politicians and GOOD people that hold them accountable. It shows that not everything is as it seems and how much we need to care for each other and make sure that we are all successful, not just a selective few.