Character Review: The Batman

The Internet is abuzz with commentary on the Batman regarding “how it makes you feel” and “how it compares to previous iterations“. This is FrostyPhenix here and I’m going to give my brief synopsis not of the movie just yet… But of the Batman character himself based on a metric that I hold in my memory. This will be a non-spoiler synopsis of the Batman I’m used to follow by the Batman that we received in this movie. Let’s get started.

As an avid watcher of the various animated series with the first real Batman trilogy to follow this success, I could understand the approach of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, but overall I can’t help but expect a certain type of “Bruce Wayne/Batman” out of the character’s portrayal. Here’s how I see him, a Suave playboy billionaire who takes Gotham by storm with his philanthropic “do good for the world” attitude while at night with his alter ego surveying the city that he loves as it’s symbol of fear and justice, casting fear into those who use the city’s trying times against it. The Bruce Timm iteration of Batman through the animated series is whom I hold most dear to my heart as the portrayal of Bruce Wayne in Batman with the iconic voice of Kevin Conroy. The thing about that is… that’s an expectation I have and that I should NOT impose that expectation on someone else’s art. I, as a viewer, am to receive that director’s viewpoint of the Batman and process it as something original and valuable… within reason of being well done of course (yes I’m looking at you Batman forever and Batman and robin…but another argument for another time).

Now for this Batman, I saw quite a few iterations of various Batman‘s that I’ve experienced/viewed in my life. Having recently watched “The Long Halloween“, along with seeing one of my favorite “beginning iterations” of Batman shown in the early 2000s “The Batman” cartoon series that aired on Kids WB during its Saturday morning cartoon lineup. It was heavily implied that this Batman is not the one who has contingencies for contingencies for contingencies… this Batman is very fresh, very green, and still very much… sad. Without getting too much into his new storyline, let’s just say this Bruce definitely still shows the early stages of dealing with the trauma he lives through up to this point without speaking to anyone about it. Robert Pattinson‘s portrayal of this darker, brooding Bruce Wayne is spot on. So spot on that I found myself wanting him to openly communicate with those that he cared about throughout this movie…however that’s not where he is in his journey right now…and that was as perfect as can be.

I give his portrayal of Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman at 5 out of 5. Not to say that it can’t be improved upon in the next movie (as a sequel has definitely been teased at the end of this movie and even in several articles that appeared on the Internet already), but for this movie and it’s story…very well done. See “The Batman” in theaters right now. Check your local times and theaters. This has been Frosty Phenix of Phucaname. Slide into my dm’s @FrostyPhenix or our group social media @Phucaname. Let us know what you think of Robert Pattenson‘s Batman, and the Batman movie overall.