Movie review: The Batman

Robert Pattinson in The Batman.

Lantern-jawed Robert Pattinson, who's been concentrating on art-house filmmaking since breaking out with the Twilight movies, re-embraces the blockbuster and dons the cowl for a new standalone Batman film defined by a dark, moody tone and some spectacular chemistry between the leads.

Although superhero reboots come thick and fast these days, it still feels like we weren't due a new live-action Batman movie for at least a couple of years. Director/co-writer Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War for the Planet of the Apes) doesn't present anything especially revolutionary in his approach here but he incorporates some notable stylistic influences and places an emphasis on detective work.

Where Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films took tonal inspiration from Sidney Lumet's civic corruption dramas, Reeves presents something more akin to the intimate deviancy of David Fincher's Seven or Zodiac, with elements of the Saw franchise mixed in. This is very much a film of the night, and the few scenes that take place during daylight are overcast and grey.

Reeves mercifully skips over the oft-portrayed origin story to present a youthful Bruce Wayne/Batman still coming to grips with his mission and his abilities. When a riddle-loving serial killer (Paul Dano) targeting Gotham's elite starts leaving messages for Batman at his crime scenes, the investigating detective, Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), teams up with the costumed vigilante to try and discern the killer's motivations.

Batman's comic book status as "The World's Greatest Detective" arguably gets its most thorough cinematic exploration yet as he and Gordon work their way through the Gotham underworld, revealing surprising connections to the Wayne family. Batman's investigation also brings him into contact with a lithe, mysterious cat lady (Zoe Kravitz), who has her own motivations.

The presentation of Gotham City here is more conceptual than the Nolan movies but stops short of the gothic stylings of the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton movies. It's got a relatively grounded, albeit muscular, look, and there's a dearth of bright colours.

Pattinson's face very much suits the mask, and he is perhaps the most expressive in-costume Batman we've seen so far. The sexual tension between him and Kravitz is the most successful element of the film, but Reeves also delivers the kind of large-scale action we've come to expect, some of which seems out of place next to the film's emphasis on inner torment.

As self-assured as this three-hour (!) film is, I must admit I was hoping for something a bit more committed to setting itself apart from what came before – there are large chunks of this that could easily fit into earlier takes on the character. It's not derivative, just a tad familiar.

Indeed, I'm at the point where I'd appreciate a Batman film that doesn't take itself so seriously. I'm ready for the silliness to come back.

But as far as foreboding, grim Batman movies go, this one is pretty good.

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis
Director: Matt Reeves
Running time: 175 minutes
Rating: TBC
Verdict: A sombre, atmospheric detective story.