'The Batman' flies anew with different faces in gloomy and familiar places

Friday, March 4, 2022

'The Batman' flies anew with different faces in gloomy and familiar places

Except for a new cauldron of actors, "The Batman," a lengthy and exceptionally grim load of PG-13 (huh?) cinema, gives the franchise that keeps trying to reinvent the wheel little to distinguish itself from the previous rest.

Sure, "Twilight"-born Robert Pattinson not only keeps the brooding going as the latest young Caped Crusader, but also now as alter ego Bruce Wayne, with both his vigilante sensibilities and Gotham-sized wealth apparently eating him up inside. Poor pup!

Seriously, Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" and Christopher Nolan's decades later "Dark Knight" movies played with similarly joyless artistry, although the combination of co-writer/director Matt Reeves (his underappreciated "Let Me In" still haunts me) and cinematographer Greig Fraser (Oscar-nominated now for "Dune") do bring new levels of intensity to these sinister proceedings.

Of course, there is a creepy, gas mask-wearing serial killer on the scary loose, knocking off politically connected citizens, and maybe leaving clues about upcoming victims as well.

So, will our squeaky clean title hero figure it all out in a measly three hours? Might he fall in love along the way with dastardly Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz)? Can he recognize Colin Farrell as The Penguin? And does the great comic/impressionist Frank Gorshin really come back from the grave to appear as The Riddler? Find out now at just about any Bat-time and every Bat-theater near you.

Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: strong, violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material; 2:56; $ $ $ out of $5

1 comment:

Tom Swift said...: Oh so disappointed that you missed the mark so very badly.; March 5, 2022 at 6:43 PM

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($ $ $ $ and 1/2)

The Little Mermaid ($ $ $ $)

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Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie ($ $ $ $)

Book Club: The Next Chapter ($ $ and 1/2)

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 ($ $ $ and 1/2)

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READ MORE FROM JOHN HERE AT TIFF 47
Spielberg memoir brings home top 'People's' prize
CIFF vets find Gravitas and indie choices in live return
Halfway home but 10-day film feast still has tasty menu
Tribute Awards and weekend stars go live again
Cleveland meets Toronto, each with 47th fests on tap
North America's largest film showcase begins Sept. 8

2022's Top 10 movies (in alphabetical order):

All My Puny Sorrows (mini review above); Avatar: The Way of Water; The Banshees of Inisherin; Cha Cha Real Smooth; Emily the Criminal; Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (mini review above); She Said; TÁR; Triangle of Sadness

2021 Top 10 movies (in alphabetical order): Belfast, Coda, Cyrano, A Hero, Jockey, Licorice Pizza, The Lost Daughter, The Rescue, The Tragedy of Macbeth, West Side Story

No Top 10 films in 2020 (Covid pandemic)

See John's Top 10 films of 2019

See John's Top 10 films of 2018

See John's Top 10 films of 2017

See John's Top 10 films of 2016

See John's Top 10 films of 2015

See John's Top 10 films of 2014

See John's Top 10 films of 2013

See John's Top 10 films of 2012

See John's Top 10 films of 2011