(Spoilers Ahead!)

On March 4th, 2022, the highly anticipated reboot of Batman, simply titled ‘The Batman’, was released. Since then it has received over $300 million in the worldwide box office as well as positive reviews from critics and the audience alike. 

The film has had intense hype for years now, especially with Robert Pattinson playing the titular role of Batman. After recently watching it, I have to answer the question…did it really live up to the hype?

This film already has Batman established, without much backstory being discussed, as the film assumes you already know how Bruce Wayne became the famed hero, which was definitely a bold choice. However, I feel it works in the film’s favor as it is nearly three hours long as it stands. 

One of the first things I noticed was that the film is very noir-styled, and has a very dark atmosphere going for it, which felt very immersive in the theater. 

Paul Dano plays the film’s main villain, the Riddler, was presented much more realistically with interesting and disturbing riddles for the main cast to try and figure out. Inspired by many real-life serial killers, he plays an interesting and truly horrifying antagonist. 

Robert Pattinson, as Batman, plays the role uniquely and acts very angsty throughout the film. While usually being quiet and well-composed, he is occasionally sarcastic and fights with complete brutality. His chemistry with the supporting cast is, mostly, very entertaining.

Most of the film’s supporting cast are interesting and well-written. The Penguin, as the film’s secondary antagonist, is fun to watch and his dialogue is distinctly him. 

Commissioner Gordon, played by Jeffrey Wright, who is with Batman for a large portion of the film, shows his patience, as well as his anger and compassion in observation of the film’s events. (Jeffrey Wright)

Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s iconic butler, played by Andy Serkis, also plays an important role in the film, mainly serving as a plot device for Batman’s character development. Batman reluctantly learns to accept him as a father-figure, and he also helps fuel Batman’s reasoning to defeat the Riddler. 

Where this film falls flat, however, is Catwoman. While Zoe Kravitz plays the role with confidence and great delivery, what she was working with and her role in the story was very disappointing. As her only main plot point of relevance was sneaking into a club, which easily could have been another character, her relevance to the movie falls too flat, especially after her leaving Gotham towards the end of the movie. It’s a shame, as if she had been given more to work with she easily could have been one of the best parts of the movie. 

The movie also differs from previous Batman movies like Tim Burton’s take and The Dark Knight trilogy by having a different style of tone and pacing, as well as supporting characters being so important.

Overall, the actors and characters were interesting and fun to watch. While the movie has its faults, I truly believe it lives up to the hype and is a worthy addition to the Batman library.