The first official reviews have come out for Matt
Reeves The Batman, and so far, it is being hailed as a fantastic Batman film.
There have been lots of reactions following the world
premiere in London, leading into the early fan screenings tomorrow, and I'm going to
be breaking down all of it in this video.
But before I get into all the reviews, if you want to
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But without further a do, lets discuss the official reviews and reactions
for The batman 2022.
So the reviews for Matt Reeves The Batman are right now extremely positive with many
critics praising the director's latest film and approach.
Now of course it's key to stress that the only review that matters is your own one,
but these reviews can serve as a good method of hype leading into the film, whether it
be aiding box office boosts or just added-excitement.
And so far this could be the case as The Batman is getting glowing reactions from the biggest
critics and fans who have already seen the film.
But what are they saying and what are the main points many of them bring up.
Well there are a lot of postive reviews and many of them claim that fans can expect to
love The Batman.
To begin with, early praise included segments from MTV Movies Hanna Flint who declared
that "Matt Reeves delivers a nail-biting, gritty and fun Batman coming-of-age story."
Other points that have been used to describe the
film include Unilad stating that it's "absolutely euphoric", Total Film claiming that it's "sensational"
and Empire saying that it's "gripping".
And Insider added the bold claim that, "Pattinson will be your new favourite Batman."
But when getting into some of the bigger details, we start to learn what elements seem to be
standing out in the Reeves film.
Starting with Robert Pattinson's performance as the caped crusader, it seems that the early
snarky twilight comments are about to be flung out the window, as pretty much every review
I've read has said that he's one of the best Batman performances we've ever seen.
Pete Hammond of Deadline said, "Bruce is a "torn, psychologically scarred figure here,
wandering around Gotham City trying to wreak vengeance
on criminals but not sure what he is.
Pattinson embodies the character perfectly".
Discussing Film added on pattinson's take that, "The
caped crusader’s complexity is expressed in a slew of ways, from tamed narration to
flashes of unhinged violence as he pummels his foes to the ground.
Pattinson doesn’t say much, apart from the necessary revelation talk in
his investigation, it’s a very subtle approach that takes viewers on quite an impressive
journey with the character, in terms of emotional growth.
The Batman, ultimately, is about Bruce Wayne’s path to finding true meaning in his calling
as a vigilante".
And even The Guardian who gave it a solid 3 star review said that
Pattinson's performance elevates the whole thing even though they had gripes about the
runtime.
IGN who gave the film a glowing 10/10 gave a bit more on his performance and claimed
that "Robert Pattinson is playing a much more vulnerable, human version of the orphaned
billionaire than we’ve seen before.
With a role so iconic, it would’ve been easy to crib from
the many actors who came before him, but Pattinson makes Bruce his own entirely.
Gone is the convincing illusion of a charismatic playboy we’ve seen in past iterations.
Here, we get a sad weirdo who’s both crippled and compelled
by his unresolved trauma in a way that’s gripping to watch.
This Bruce is a broken man, unable to hide his emotions even under the cowl.
Pattinson’s performance, in turn, is crushingly painful, whether he’s in or out of the Batsuit".
So Pattinson seems to have nailed the type of Batman Reeves wanted, one that is not
all there yet and coming into his own and dealing with his inner truth.
Now coming to the other performances, IGN added that they are actually some of the stronger
elements of this iteration.
They said, "Pattinson’s performance isn’t even the second most
memorable of The Batman.
Those honors go to Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and The Riddler, respectively.
The former struck me as inspired casting from the get-go,
but Kravitz’s layered portrayal of the catburglar clawed past even my high expectations.
She’s got all the slinkiness and slyness you could hope for, but, like Pattinson’s
Bruce, she’s also incredibly vulnerable, while
selling an insatiable need for revenge.
Pattinson may be the one screaming “I am vengeance!,” but it’s Kravitz who simmers
with a need for payback.
Plus, the two actors’ chemistry is undeniable".
I haven't heard this be the case with all the reviews but I will say that some of the
points raised about Kravitz seem to be in line with the praise here.
It's definitely an aspect now that gets me excited to see all the supporting players.
And speaking of another performance, they add to how the
Riddler's shared time is mesmerizing.
They continued stating, "As for Dano, his Riddler is easily the best live-action Batman
villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker.
This is a far, far, far cry from the previous most famous Riddler
performance by Jim Carrey, with Reeves putting a modern, murderous spin on the wordsmith
that’s heavily influenced by the real-world Zodiac Killer.
Dano sinks into this unhinged yet genius killer with terrifying realism.
Seriously, Dano managed to give me chills with a single eye movement in one scene.
The best Batman villains are the ones who challenge
at least two of the three of his mind, morals, and body, and this Riddler puts the first
two to the test.
Whenever Pattinson and Dano face off, it’s impossible to look away".
Big words, but I guess we'll see how that holds up in a few days time and it get's me
particularly intrigued to see how they go about Selina Kyle's
deep connection to everything going on, whether that is what we predicted beforehand, and
also if Riddler really becomes this iconic psychological threat that we love from a Batman
film.
Many of the reviewers seem to be praising his performance, so we'll just have to see.
Coming now to some of the reactions on the direction and production aspects of the film,
there's a lot of exciting claims, including one by Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert, saying,
"Matt Reeves brings his vision to The Batman and delivers the best work of his career…
an intense, riveting piece of big-budget filmmaking, directed in a way that echoes everything
from SE7EN to CHINATOWN but also feels blindingly new.”
IGN added, "The Batman stands on its own, but it’s still dripping with cinematic references.
Among the movies I thought about while watching: Zodiac, Se7en, Chinatown,
and Saw!
Its gritty realism is most similar to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, but this is a refreshingly
bold new cinematic take on the Dark Knight".
When it comes to production notes, they stood out too, with David Rooney of The Hollywood
Reporter discussing the soundtrack.
It's "Visceral use of sound is key to the film’s
immersive effect, but even more so an absolute banger of a score by Michael Giacchino.
The symphonic underlay might have seemed excessive in less confident hands, but the graceful
incorporation of specific themes for Batman and Selina, as well as pre-existing music
ranging from classical pieces to Nirvana, provides tonal variation to ensure that The
Batman never becomes a punishing downer".
And they add one note on something we all expected, and that's that Greig Fraser's cinematography
is a standout.
They say, "On the heels of Greig Fraser’s spectacular work on Dune, the cinematographer
gives the film a moody, tenebrous look to match the tortured pit of Batman’s soul,
and production designer James Chinlund’s world-building
is first-rate, weaving together elements from real cities and sets to form a Gotham that
resembles New York while establishing its own gritty, gothic identity, pulsing with
menace and mystery".
The one aspect that has created slightly mixed reviews however is mainly focussed on the
runtime.
Some think it's too long, as this has been quoted by some reviews that I
personally trust, while others say that the runtime is perfect for the kind of film Reeves
made.
The positive came from Steven Weintraub of Collider, who said, "It’s unlike any Batman
movie you’ve seen.
The 3-hour run time allows scenes to breathe.
No quick cuts.
No wasted moment.
The film pulls you in from the opening scene and doesn’t let go till the final credits
play.
I cannot recommend this film enough".
And David Grow from Den of Geek said "The Batman’s running time mostly acts as one
of its greatest assets.
Here is a superhero movie that is deliberately paced and takes its time to
live with its characters and the tangled web they weave through the city.
Minus a few obligatory scenes of Pattinson’s bleary eyes being
unhooded from his mask, revealing a thousand-yard stare and smeared makeup worthy of the grunge
music on the soundtrack, there is no real “Bruce Wayne” scene—as in Bruce going
out in public—for the first whole hour".
Whereas, The Guardian says it's "overlong" and Kevin Mccarthy of Fox says with 30 minutes
shorter it would have elevated the film.
So what this seems like is that the runtime may work for some
and not for others.
You know that I myself love longer films as long as it uses every minute of the runtime,
so it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts to this and what they
individually think about it too.
But apart from that gripe, I haven't seen too much that really drags this down.
Most reviews are extremely positive and getting this kind of
praise from critics is only going to entise the undecided audience to check it out.
The final few points to add from the reviews are what has been said in conclusion regarding
this new take and that it's a detective movie through and through.
Den of Geek gave the film a 4.5/5 and said, "it's one of the best
comic book films of all time", adding...
"After a superhero film this extraordinarily satisfying and this determined to have something
new to say about Bruce Wayne—and our own world
by extension—the anticipation for whatcomes next will be immense."
Peter Canavese of Groucho Reviews, said that "While retaining requisite
elements of blockbuster action cinema...decidedly shifts the focus to pulp fiction...The Batman
feels more like a Batman story than a Batman movie, and that's an achievement in
itself".
The Hollywood Reporter also concluded, saying that "Reeves delivers a lot of movie.
Does it stretch the definition of escapism to immerse ourselves in a fiction so reflective
of the toxic cynicism that pervades our 21st century reality?
Perhaps.
But this glowering study in crime and punishment is meticulously crafted, vividly inhabited
storytelling with a coherent, thought-through vision, and that
makes for muscular entertainment".
Deadline's Hammond used strong words that it's A "winner, adetective movie for the ages
and deserves to be placed right alongside The Dark Knight.
It focuses on character over action and it's more of a classic noir detective story.
So this is pretty huge in terms of early reviews and
scores and it be interesting to see whether it goes more in the direction of the positive
in the coming days, especially when looking at audiences.
It currently has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with 71 reviews and a 73 Metascore,
which is pretty storng considering that gives you an average score on all the reviews.
So far, it's all positive, but primarily, I'm just ready to see the film myself and
see what lies in store for Matt Reeves new iteration of The Dark Knight.
But they were the first official reviews for Matt Reeves The Batman.
Like I said before, everyone's individual reaction is the most important and a review
aggreagator or score shouldn't really change that.
But with all these positive reviews coming out, there's nothing wrong with a bit of excitement
especially with many including myself really anticipating
this film for the last few years.
The reviews so far are extremely positive and they stress on many of the points that
I was excited for but also ones that I didn't expect.
However, at the end of the day it's down to the audience
whether this really a win and we will soon see what the consensus is once everyone has
seen the film this week.
I myself will be seeing it in the next few days and I will be giving
all you all my thoughts here on the channel.
i will also be covering the film in depth with breakdowns, so make sure to keep a look
out for whenever I post.
But let me know down below in the comments section what you personally think towards
the reviews and reactions, alongside whether it gets you even more hyped for
the release of the film in the next few days.
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