Matt Reeves took a massive risk in 2022. He didn't just make another superhero movie; he made a detective noir that happened to feature a guy in a pointed cowl. People were skeptical. Honestly, we'd seen Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton all do their thing. Why did we need Robert Pattinson? But then the red-and-black trailers dropped, and the vibe changed instantly. It wasn't about saving the world or fighting aliens. It was about a rainy, gross Gotham City and a protagonist who was basically a shut-in with a trust fund and a very expensive hobby.
The Batman worked because it understood something fundamental about Bruce Wayne that most other films gloss over. He’s kind of a mess. He isn't the suave playboy here. He’s a guy who hasn't slept in three days and uses eye makeup that smudges when he takes his mask off. This grounded approach is exactly why the film continues to dominate discussions about the genre even as we head into 2026 and look toward the sequel.
The Batman and the detective roots we actually wanted
For decades, DC fans kept saying the same thing: "He’s supposed to be the World’s Greatest Detective." Yet, in most movies, he just punches people until they talk. In this film, we actually see him looking at floor plans. We see him analyzing thumb drives and looking for clues in a diary. It’s a procedural. Think Se7en but with a Batmobile that sounds like a muscle car from hell. Reeves leaned into the 1939 origins of the character, specifically the Detective Comics run, and it paid off.
Robert Pattinson's performance is surprisingly quiet. He doesn't have many lines. Instead, he uses his eyes—which is a weird thing to say about a guy in a mask—to convey this deep, boiling trauma. When he walks into a crime scene, the GCPD officers look at him like he’s a freak. Because, let’s be real, he is. That tension between the police and the vigilante is a core pillar of the narrative. It’s not a cozy partnership. It’s a desperate, messy alliance between Jim Gordon (played with weary perfection by Jeffrey Wright) and a masked man who might be just as crazy as the people he’s hunting.
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The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, isn't the green-spandex-wearing prankster from the 90s. He’s a terrifying reflection of internet radicalization. He’s a product of the city’s failure. This isn't just a "bad guy does bad things" plot. It’s a story about systemic corruption in Gotham’s Renewal program. The way the movie connects the Wayne family legacy to the city’s downfall makes the stakes feel incredibly personal. It’s not about a giant laser in the sky. It’s about a ledger. It’s about who stole the money meant for the orphans.
Why the cinematography changed everything
Greig Fraser is a genius. There is no other way to put it. The way he uses "bokeh" and shallow depth of field makes Gotham feel suffocating and tactile. You can almost smell the wet asphalt. Most big-budget movies now look like they were filmed in a sterile parking lot with a green screen. Not this one. It feels heavy. The lighting is oranges, deep reds, and blacks that actually look black, not just dark gray.
The car chase scene? Iconic. The way the camera stays bolted to the side of the car makes you feel every bump and gear shift. It’s visceral. When the Penguin thinks he’s escaped and you see the Batmobile jump through a wall of fire in the rearview mirror, that’s pure cinema. It’s one of those moments that reminds you why we go to the theater in the first place. It wasn't just CGI noise; it was a choreographed nightmare.
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The score that stays in your head
Michael Giacchino did something brave with the theme. It’s only four notes. That’s it. Dun-dun-dun-dun. But those four notes carry more weight than an entire orchestra in a standard Marvel flick. It feels like a funeral march. It builds and builds until it’s almost unbearable. Music is half the characterization in this movie. When Bruce is biking through Gotham to the sounds of Nirvana’s "Something in the Way," you get his headspace immediately. He’s isolated. He’s "underneath the bridge."
Misconceptions about the three-hour runtime
People complained that the movie was too long. It’s nearly three hours. I get it; that’s a big ask for a "superhero" movie. But if you view it as a crime epic—something like Heat or The Godfather—the pacing makes total sense. Every scene builds the mystery. If you cut out the middle hour, you lose the realization of how deep the corruption goes. You lose the Falcone subplot, which is arguably the best part of the movie. John Turturro as Carmine Falcone is terrifying because he’s so calm. He’s the "civilized" monster that the Riddler is trying to expose.
Some critics argued the ending felt like a different movie. The flood. The stadium. It gets very "big" very fast. But thematically, it has to happen. Bruce realizes that "Vengeance" isn't enough. If he just scares people, he’s no better than the criminals. He has to become a symbol of hope. Seeing him lead people out of the water with a flare is the most important character beat in the entire film. It’s his graduation from a vigilante to a hero.
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Practical steps for the ultimate rewatch
If you’re planning on revisiting the film before the sequel hits theaters, there are a few ways to actually enhance the experience. Most people just stream it on a laptop, but this movie lives and dies by its technical specs.
- Watch it in 4K HDR: This is non-negotiable. Because the movie is so dark, standard 1080p streams often suffer from "banding" in the shadows. You need that high dynamic range to see the detail in the Bat-suit and the rainy streets.
- Check out the deleted scenes: Specifically the one with Barry Keoghan’s Joker at Arkham. It’s a five-minute masterclass in tension and shows a very different, more "human" version of the villain than we’ve seen before.
- Read 'Batman: Ego': Matt Reeves cited this comic by Darwyn Cooke as a major influence. It explores the psychological split between the Bruce Wayne persona and the Batman persona. It’ll give you a lot of context for why Pattinson acts the way he does.
- Listen to the soundtrack on vinyl or high-res audio: The low-end frequencies in Giacchino’s score are incredible if you have a decent subwoofer or a pair of high-quality headphones.
The Batman isn't a perfect movie, but it is a singular one. It has a point of view. In an era where many franchise films feel like they were made by a committee in a boardroom, this feels like a director’s vision. It’s moody, it’s slow, and it’s unapologetically weird. It reminds us that even with a character who has been around for nearly a century, there is always a new way to tell the story if you're willing to get a little bit dirty.
Take the time to watch the "The Art of the Batman" book if you can find it. The concept art shows just how much work went into making Gotham look like a decaying Gothic cathedral. Every gargoyle, every flickering neon sign, and every drop of rain was intentional. That's the level of detail that keeps a movie relevant years after its release. It isn't just content; it’s craft.