The Batman (M, 176 minutes)
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3 stars.
DC Comics' caped crusader has been adapted to the screen in movies that have ranged from campy and creepy, dark to dopey. Director and co-writer Matt Reeves' reboot of the property is definitely on the noir side: there's not much light here in any sense.
Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) is in his second year roaming the Gotham City streets at night as the costumed vigilante the Batman (we'll just call him Batman). Despite his efforts - which seem to be tacitly tolerated, if not endorsed, by the police - crime and corruption have only become worse and the inky look of the film - even in daylight - reflects the blackness of the place.
What one can one man, even a powerful one, do in such dire circumstances?
As well as the everyday criminals, Gotham City is being plagued by a serial killer known as the Riddler, a man who leaves cryptic clues and ciphers for the police to decipher.
This doesn't depict Batman's origin story - young Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered and he uses his fabulous inheritance to train and equip himself to become a vigilante crimefighter - although that past is referred to and is a significant plot point.
The Batman, almost inevitably, feels reminiscent of other noirish films - the sadistic serial-killer aspects recall movies like Saw and Se7en, and the latter's "Is this world worth fighting for?" question is also raised. And, of course, there are familiar characters and story ideas from earlier Batman movies, but this works well as a standalone movie even in the unlikely event you've managed to miss all the previous films directed by Tim Burton, Chris Nolan et al.
Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman is a cat burglar (naturally) and nightclub worker but her true calling seems to be more in an Occupy Wall Street-type activist mould than a mere criminal.
Her uneasy alliance with our (anti) hero is interesting since it becomes apparent their motives and ideas differ in significant ways.
The attempt at positioning Batman and Catwoman as having a romantic spark feels arbitrarily imposed and doesn't work: there's no feeling of sexual chemistry between Pattinson and Kravitz and their characters seem more concerned with their own sociopolitical motivations and agendas rather than any such frivolousness.
Robert Pattinson might be even more emo and intense here as Bruce Wayne/ Batman than he was as Edward in the Twilight movies (which, like Kristen Stewart, he had the talent to outgrow). This Bruce Wayne even keeps the dark makeup around his eyes on after he removes his mask to glower and brood. Pattinson - aided by his stunt doubles and CGI imitations - seems to spend a lot more time as Batman than Bruce. He fits the Batsuit well enough and copes with the terse dialogue delivered in a gravelly monotone that seems de rigueur for the character.
Given that Batman was introduced in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, it's appropriate that the character is heavily involved in the investigative side of the process, helping to work out what the Riddler's next move might be. There might be a hint of the police procedural here but there's still plenty of action - fight scenes, car chases - to pump up the adrenalin. Still, the prevailing mood is dead serious with only a very occasional moment of levity. Even the Chris Nolan movies didn't feel quite this grim.
Paul Dano makes a creepy Riddler, mostly heard from behind a mask and maintaining the intensity even when we finally see his bespectacled and incongruously still-boyish features.
Colin Farrell - unrecognizable in heavy makeup - is wasted as the Penguin and cutting his character would have reduced the lengthy running time and saved the character for a more prominent role in another story.
Among the supporting cast, the always welcome John Turturro is affably evil as the Gotham City crime boss Carmine Falcone and Andy Serris is fine as faithful butler Alfred.
The Batman isn't as good as, say, The Dark Knight but it's still a worthy exploration of the character.
There's a brief post-credit teaser but it's not clear exactly what it signifies. Maybe Batman could figure it out.