Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Batman.
Robert Pattinson is the ninth live-action incarnation of Bruce Wayne to star in a solo movie, so there’s not much room left for reinvention. Matt Reeves’ dark, gloomy vision of the Bat’s vigilante crusade adheres to many of the traditions established by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking movies, but it also packs a few surprises of its own.
From a major DC cameo to a Riddler characterized like a slasher villain to a Chinatown-style paternal plot twist, The Batman is filled with unexpected turns.
Bruce Wayne Only Appears In A Couple Of Scenes
While Batman is the more exciting persona of the two, it’s important to show scenes from Bruce Wayne’s perspective to round him out as a character. There’s usually a 50/50 split between Bruce scenes and Batman scenes, but The Batman is almost all Batman.
Having plenty of screen time for Batman makes the three-hour runtime an easier pill to swallow, but it also means that characters in Bruce’s orbit – specifically Alfred – are sidelined by the story.
Boundary-Pushing Violence
The violence in The Batman makes the violence in The Dark Knight trilogy and the SnyderVerse look tame. Matt Reeves has taken the gruesomeness and goriness of the Bat’s on-screen action to new levels (which is unsurprising, since he got his break in the horror genre).
The Riddler brutally bludgeons people to death and there’s a bone-crunching authenticity to Batman’s hand-to-hand combat. The movie has earned an unprecedented 15 rating in the UK, much to the chagrin of British Batman fans under the age of 15.
A “Buddy Cop” Dynamic With Jim Gordon
In most on-screen portrayals of Batman’s adventures, Jim Gordon usually just speaks to the Bat on the roof of a police station to deliver exposition. But in The Batman, Jeffrey Wright’s Gordon develops a kind of “buddy cop” dynamic with Batman as they solve a case together.
The characters’ chemistry in The Batman is refreshingly unique. Gotham P.D. is still wary of Batman in the early days of his crimefighting career. Gordon is the only cop who supports the Bat’s vigilante crusade and agrees to work with him, so there’s a mutual respect between them.
The Riddler Is Basically Jigsaw
Paul Dano’s Riddler is practically a horror villain in The Batman. His scenes have genuine scares that wouldn’t feel out of place in a full-blown horror movie.
This take on the character was inspired by the Zodiac Killer, but he also sets elaborate traps and games like Jigsaw from the Saw films. Gil Colson’s collar bomb is exactly the kind of trap that Jigsaw would put one of his victims in. Dano’s Riddler also evokes a different slasher villain: he allows himself to be arrested before his master plan comes together, like Se7en’s John Doe.
Catwoman Is More Of A Sidekick Than A Villain
Catwoman is usually portrayed as a classic femme fatale who switches between allying with Batman and helping out his latest nemesis. But Zoë Kravitz’s take on the role in The Batman is much more nuanced and sympathetic than that.
Like Jane Fonda in Klute, Kravitz’s Catwoman is a love interest who helps the Bat with his latest case. She has relatable motivations: she’s searching for her missing roommate and she’s determined to kill her estranged father to avenge her late mother.
Licensed Songs
Batman movies tend to exclusively utilize original scores. From Danny Elfman to Hans Zimmer, some of the greatest film composers of all time have worked on the Batman franchise. Even when popular artists appear on the soundtrack, like Prince or Seal, they’ve written songs specifically for the movie.
Michael Giacchino composed a dark, gloomy, beautifully subtle original score for The Batman, but Reeves also utilized some familiar tracks like “Ave Maria.” There’s a soundtrack needle-drop with Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” that was teased by the trailers.
The Riddler Has An Army Of Followers
Batman fights a bunch of bad guys dressed like the Riddler in the big finale at Gotham Square Garden – but none of them are actually the Riddler himself. The third-act twist reveals that the Riddler has amassed an online fan following committed to doing his violent bidding.
They don their own winter combat masks and take up arms to do whatever the Riddler demands of them. The Avengers fought an army of alien goons; the Batman fights an army of political assassins.
Carmine Falcone Is Catwoman’s Father
Catwoman’s connection to Carmine Falcone is one of the main mystery threads in The Batman. For a while, Bruce assumes she’s his mistress – but, as it turns out, she’s his estranged daughter.
This paternal plot twist is a nod to the neo-noir classic Chinatown, one of the many 1970s movies homaged in The Batman. The twist in Chinatown is decidedly more harrowing, but both twists revolve around the dark secrets of the female lead’s parentage.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman Is Modeled After Travis Bickle
Since Batman is easily Warner Bros.’ most lucrative I.P., it’s surprising that studio executives allowed Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson to portray the Bat as a brutal, unromantic 1970s New Hollywood vigilante. This take on Batman seems to have been heavily influenced by Robert De Niro’s insomniac killer from Taxi Driver.
Pattinson’s Batman is essentially Travis Bickle in a cowl. In both Taxi Driver and The Batman, diary entries expressed as voiceover narration give the audience a glimpse into the character’s dark psychology.
Barry Keoghan’s Joker Debut
For the most part, The Batman is a standalone story. But one crucial moment toward the end of the film sets up a major villain for the future. Credited as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” Barry Keoghan appears in a cell next to the Riddler and asks to be his “friend.”
Although he isn’t identified on-screen as the Joker, his maniacal laugh and creepy grin are a clear tip-off. This scene is a great introduction to Keoghan’s Clown Prince of Crime. Hopefully, the actor has a bright future in this role.