Robert Pattinson was the next in line of multiple actors who have played Batman, that previously had
those doubting whether he could pull off such an iconic role. His career has grown
and grown through his many roles in indie films more recently, and with 2022's The Batman from
director Matt Reeves, he has proven what a great actor he truly is. His performance in
the film is one of the best Batman or Bruce Wayne takes I've ever seen,
and I think it's only fitting that I do an upload dedicated to the
acting he delivers in the film. In this video essay, I'm going to be discussing what makes
Robert Pattinson so great in The Batman, and the small details in his performance that make
him stand out as a perfect iteration of the caped crusader. But before I get into it,
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lets dive into my video essay on what makes Robert Pattinson great in The Batman.
So soon after Robert Pattinson was cast as the world's greatest detective, fans of different
sides were angry about the casting. The Twilight boy phrase was a common reason, encouraging
a wave of skepticism due to his earlier work in the teen romance films of the Twilight Saga,
and it was very clear that a lot of these viewers hadn't seen what he had accomplished as
an actor since those performances. His later work in more art house films like Good Time
and The Lighthouse were examples that showed the actor had grown and really perfected his
craft over the time since and after watching those films, I think it got a few of us excited
to see what he'd do as The Dark Knight. But of course, those previous critisms would only
fade once we saw his performance in The Batman, with us truly understanding what the actor was
capable of. The mannerisms that Pattinson brings to The Batman are expressive of the
career he's built and when performing as quite unhinged weirdos over a long period of time,
it gave him all the tools to pull of the version of Bruce Wayne and Batman we saw in Matt
Reeves film. Along with the filmmaker's more grungy and darker take on Gotham and the central
story, Pattinson’s Caped Crusader fit into this mould perfectly, giving us a performance
more in line with the inspired Kurt Cobain and sporting black eye makeup that an emo band
would commonly be seen with. Unlike some of the other Bruce Waynes, who have more of the
playboy persona and expected charm, this actor is far more out there, yet he retains exactly
what Batman should be if we consider his past and where he is this particular timeframe.
For instance the example of the funeral scene in The Batman is a great one when it comes to
looking at the type of version we get in this film. And while I will be discussing more
about the performance in this scene towards the end of the video, what's clear from this example,
is that Bruce Wayne's public appearance is a rare sight. The added silence we get in
Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, having little to no lines of dialogue with anyone other than Alfred,
gives us a version of this character that has to convey everything he feels in a unique
and powerful way. We know right from scenes like this that Robert's take is not a regular Batman,
he's one that is deranged and listens to Nirvana. But like I said, within that, the
emotions his performance brings gives us one that quite meaningfully,
represents Batman in the fullest of ways we've seen.
Getting to that performance, it's seen quite evidently in Robert Pattinson’s physicality,
that we were getting a more fragile character structure. In The Batman, Pattinson portrays his
Bruce Wayne with a physicality that is much leaner and also quite alien in comparison
to other Batman performances and the superhero physique that we get in a lot of comic book films
today. We get a clear message from this. While Batman is more than happy to perform
a beat down on gangs and clowns, like in one of the opening scenes, the body within the costume
isn’t just representative of a handsome figure in and out of the costume. Instead, like his
leaner physique, you see the bruises, scars and quite unorthordox shape, almost reflective
of a horror figure lurking in the darkness, practically and metaphorically. Those early
sarcastic comments from the actor, claiming that he didn't work out for the role, was actually a
case of the actor working out in quite different ways. He was moulding this physique
that isn't the overly brooding kind, but more the tactical, lean, yet damaged one too. Right from
the first time he emerges on screen in costume, out of the shadows, he seems to use the mask and
suit to his advantage. His eyes, which are more visible than ever, alongside his slow
walks into frame, convey just visually the type of different performance we were going to be seeing,
yet in all the Batman ways we've always wanted. Rather than just giving us the
playboy version we’ve seen plenty of before, one which has been done really well in the past,
Matt Reeves seemed to have leaned more into another vision for this person, one that has
visibly gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. The result of this, which we see
for a lot of the early two acts, is a man who has let his trauma and anger take over to the
point of him finding his salvation through vengeance. It's the most outcast version of
Batman we've ever seen, but it left an opportunity for the filmmaker and Pattinson himself to
show us a full journey. A journey of him eventually growing into the hero we know
that he can be. And the actor demonstrated this very effectively, giving us a silenced, quite
psychological take throughout his earlier years. He turns Batman into a Byronic hero, difficult,
yet possesed to find out the secrets. The actor gives us a less throaty voice, a
paler complexion and longer black hair, almost grungey to the point of us asking earlier on,
where has this take on Batman been? And speaking of that more traditional speaking voice,
Pattinson uses this in a slower and more measured way, fitting his reserved and depressed version of
the character. And in costume, he conveys the perfect balance of tradgedy, rage,
yet also the crucial emotion that an actor could struggle to convey onscreen in this
particular role, and one we've rarely seen as deep as this before. It's all aimed in on Batman, his
origins and what he feels, allowing a world class performer like Pattinson to bring a Batman that
we can really dig into. We can do that in this film and maybe even more in the future
if they continue to take this character in an impactful direction.
This is all tied up in Matt Reeves film, which actively confronts the notions of class,
inequality, and corruption, all linked to the complex
ideal of a billionaire fighting for that of the poor in Gotham. The rich get richer and
the poor get poorer, both in the real world and in this fictional city. And with this concept
being a primary theme, Bruce has never been more interesting as a singular character.
Especially when he relies on his parents quite optimistic vision of Gotham as the vindication
for his own vengeance, while not understanding the negative effects that his approach to terror
can bring. And also the fact that his parents may have had a part in everything to do with this.
It's the process of him coming to terms with what he should be for Gotham,
which to us, is obviously the heroism he displays at the very end.
This can help him to come to terms with his own self and at least calm the trauma
and pain that has affected him since his parent's death. There's of course the layers
of complexity regarding his character though, as we learn that Batman’s corrupt world is too much
for him to change alone, despite all the potential of renewal in the city. The city is rotten to the
core, and it's going to be a while before things are much better after the event's
of Riddler's flooding. Batman realizes and we hear it in the voice of Pattinson, narrating towards
the end, that he is deep within a horrible system, one that has been propelled by the
good guys just as much as his prime enemies. It's essentially gonna take a good amount of
time for him to clearly grow into the hero he can be and also to help the city have a sense of
renewal. To convey all of these greyer morals and concepts presented in the film, you have to
have a performer who can embody the role of this traumatised individual and really show
his reaction to certain events that occur. Whether it be through a single look, through their eyes,
how they speak, how they move, or in an expression like anger. Pattinson embodies
all of that in multiple scenes and he does so with so litle dialogue or exagerrated charisma.
Whether it's action scenes like the opening beatdown, the batmobile chase or at the very
end when after brutally beating down one of Riddler's thugs, he realises that he has to
be more than vengeance. Or in the more reserved scenes such as those with Alfred, connecting
with Catwoman and her past, the confrontation with Riddler, which turns to into fear
and anger by the end of it or one other scene, which I'm going to get into now.
That scene is the one I mentioned before, and it's the one where Bruce wayne appears at the funeral
of the Mayor, the Riddler's first victim. Up until this point in the film we'd barely
seen Pattinson's Bruce wayne. In the midst of short scenes he was Batman for a majority
of it. He's addicted to being that vigilante, addicted to venting his pain and trauma onto the
criminals he beats down. But then comes this scene and it's the first where Bruce is really
out in public as the billionaire we know. The performance of Pattinson within the church is
genius in my eyes as just through the direction and looks he gives, tells us a powerful story.
As Bella Real hastles him to stop being reclusive and do more for the city, his attention
steers straight to the boy at the end of the hall. A boy of a rich family and one who had
lost his powerful father. He connects to this boy and understands exactly what he's going
through. There's no scene of him saying to Alfred afterwards about how he relates to him
or anything, no, it's just all there in that moment, showing how the reflective emotion of
Bruce Wayne is placed on a young boy in a similar situation. Reeves could have showed
us the murder of the Waynes again, but with that having been done so well in other films, here
he's allowed Pattinson the room to show that emotion in a different way. And it goes further
as the scene progresses. When the vehicle of Gil Colson is about to shatter through the
doors of the church, putting everyone in a state of worry, Pattinson does something great here.
He gives different experessions. An intial glance of care when looking at the boy, a look
of fear yet also anger at the Riddler appearing at the top of the balcony, followed by a look of
worry back at the boy, before racing towards him to save his life. It's just through
simple looks alone that the actor conveys a story. He's almost like a ghost in this scene
watching himself as a younger child experience that same pain and he feels so much of a
powerful connection to the very idea, that he doesn't want anyone else to experience what
he went through. He doesn't jump for others in the room, he goes straight to the young child.
Essentially, in a scene with no dialogue from him, we get simple yet effective facial
expressions from Robert Pattinson, being used to tell us that deep down as Bruce Wayne he cares
about others and feels their pain. He relate's to it and it's something up until that point
that we hadn't seen as impactfully. He's very reactive in the film in multiple moments after
this scene, and it allows for the things that happen to and around his character,
to become the reflective pieces of emotion driving his story and what he truly feels inside. And what
he feels is everything Batman should feel. The pain and trauma of his past and the compelling
nature to inflict that on the criminals he fights. When he looks up at Riddler in the
church, he sees the same criminal that killed his parents. He feels compelled to not let that
happen to someone else of a similar age. That night in the alley is carried with him in the
costume. It's not until the very end where Bruce Wayne has now been put on a journey to be healed
and become the hero Gotham needs him to be. It's fantastic on Robert Pattinson's part
to really show us all of these integral Batman ideals and do so in a way that has the audience
thinking about them without even showing us why he's become that. We watch an out of place
weirdo conveying why he has become this person
just through subtle and effective pieces of acting.
But that was my video discussing Robert Pattinson's great performance in The Batman.
The actor brought a fresh new twist to Batman and Bruce Wayne. His emo take is quite the weird
version, that manages to capture exactly the kind of individual that Batman is, and going forward,
he is set up to become the truest version of that person from the comics. Surrounded
by individually great performances from Paul Dano, John Turturro, Zoe Kravitz and Colin Farrell,
the actor shows the most restrait as his particular character, becoming the quiet yet
effective standout himself. Pattinson’s quieter demeanor throughout the film makes a moment
when he goes off in action or dialogue scenes quite effective in regards to the overall story
and where he is as a character. Most crucially, his unique approach towards the dark knight,
means for a Batman more connected to Bruce Wayne then ever before, and as a whole, it makes
yet another Batman movie feel fresh and necessary for our times. But what do you think
towards how Robert Pattinson portrayed the caped crusader and Bruce Wayne in The Batman and do
you agree that his performance was a brilliant one that can only grow and be
built upon in future movies. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments section.
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