The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to tremendous heights in recent years. People thought that the hype would die down after Avengers: Endgame but things have only become more intense in the last few years. Part of the reason for this is that Marvel Studios has shifted a big chunk of their storytelling to the OTT format and embraced a more mature tone in their world. DC, on the other hand, has been doing this for quite some time. Their latest movie with the caped crusader is proof of this. The movie does everything right, it has been artfully crafted and honed to perfection. To put it simply, The Batman is a masterpiece, and here’s why.
Director Matt Reeves had commented some time ago that The Batman was going to be a movie focusing more on the detective side of Batman. He wanted to give us a version of the dark knight that was more akin to a noire detective than a superhuman martial artist. The Batman is an incredibly intricate ode to an already complex character. Bruce’s story is one of rage and incredibly tragic loss. His wrath is hot enough to melt the entire underworld of Gotham and this movie personifies that contempt remarkably well. From the get-go we are shown are a murky POV of The Riddler as he stalks his first victim. The mayor of Gotham is disposed of in the most gruesome of ways.
The Batman Is A Masterpiece
The Riddler’s introduction is meant to be unsettling. This director wants to remind us that Gotham is not a safe place to live in. This fact is hammered home further by Bruce’s opening narration where he explains that he cannot be everywhere, that he is not capable of stopping every crime in Gotham all at once so he must use fear to stop the criminals. In the first 15 minutes of the movie, we are introduced to both, the antagonist and the protagonist and we have a firm grip on their motivations (sort of). This is brilliant storytelling.
The Batman has a lot on its plate that it wants to share with the table and it does so masterfully. Its story beats are frequent and yet they remain impactful up until the end. Some people say that the movie has some pacing issues during the third act. But these critics forget the Easter eggs that the movie keeps dropping on its audience until its last frame. Everything from Joker’s appearance to the venom vial that Batman uses to save Catwoman, are essential parts of the puzzle. The Riddler might be behind bars, Falcone might have been shot but there is the conspiracy.
Who knows who else was involved in Gotham’s mischief and the death of the Waynes. The Batman does not end, in our opinion, it is merely the prologue to Bruce’s story. This Batman will grow and become the protector of the entire world along with the other Justice League members once DC gets around to the multiverse (and we do mean, get to it and not just use it as an excuse for a soft reboot). To make that happen they will have to put him through hell.
The Future
We have just been given the first glimpse of it. Falcone, Penguin, Joker, and The Riddler, all of them are merely pieces on the chessboard. We will see the true consequences of the story of The Batman once the sequel rolls around. This includes the possible appearance of Bane and the court of owls, all of whom have been set up in this movie. A lot of movies would make it an excuse for their failure, the fact that they had to share a lot of stories with the audience.
But The Batman makes this its strength. The movie shares all of its content masterfully and never do we feel that we are being overburdened with information. Each piece of information is given to us through story progression and nothing is spoon-fed to the audience. We are treated like adults and yet not one detail is missed. It is very hard to produce a piece of media that conveys its underlying message as judiciously as this movie does. It truly means that The Batman is a masterpiece.
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