It's been almost six years since we last saw our favourite caped crusader on the big screen. In the meantime, the state of affairs for the 'dark knight of hope' was not that promising. First, there was the Justice League fiasco in 2017, then we realised that Zack Snyder's stint at DCEU is over, and then came the rumours that Ben Affleck will drop the cape post the upcoming The Flash movie. But we, the DC fans, a never-dying breed in the age of Marvel, have always been aware that hope shines bright during the darkest of times and that there will come someone to pick up the reins of Snyder. That hope echoed in fans' whistles and roars when the DC logo appeared on the title card of Matt Reeves' The Batman.
The first scene of the film establishes the catalyst of the story, the Riddler. In fact, Reeves establishes a lot in a matter of a few scenes. What's more interesting was how Reeves chose to introduce Batman in the film. There's a monologue that encapsulates what Batman means to Gotham, and it also aids as a prelude to the story. The entire sequence did make me wonder if it was inspired by Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.
When the pathos of an orphan-turned-vigilante let loose is spelt so starkly, a brooding sense of uneasiness sets in. From here, the world of Batman erupts, and we are introduced to names such as Gordon, Alfred, Falcone, Selina, Maroni, Penguin, and so on. Yet, at its barebones, The Batman is a mystery story with the detective Batman at its centre - something that the live-action versions have not explored - making it a distinctive feature of the film.
Gotham comes to life in Reeves' world. Like in Taxi Driver, again, the city becomes a character by itself. Reeves' Gotham is Gotham at its most ruthless and menacing form. The vision of the city is brilliantly brought to life by Greig Fraser's visuals, which remain magnificent throughout. If Fraser pulls off extraordinary feats with the camera, Michael Giacchino's music leaves the most impact. This is in spite of a convincing Robert Pattinson, who is phenomenal as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Quite like Christopher Nolan's depiction, this Batman, too, is extremely vulnerable and yet, packs quite a punch.
What Joker (2019) and The Batman have reassured us is that the world of Batman is a never-ending repository of stories and characters that remains untapped for mainstream entertainment. So, are these fresh voices, tapping into that potential with standalone features, the new torch-bearers of DC? Only time will tell, but the flame of the dark knight shines bright once again.