Tag: Batman

The Batman

The Batman dir. Matt Reeves (2022) A brave production in that it foregrounds the grey areas of Batman’s existence and is structured around his failures. Reeves borrows heavily from noir and opts for murky cinematography (to the point of obscurity). Not much re-watch value but a laudable one-off.

The Batman vs. Dracula

The Batman vs. Dracula dir. Michael Goguen (Warner Bros., 2005) Beyond the outrageous title lurks a half-decent concept (Batman imagery as an offshoot of the vampire legend), undone by some truly indigestible dialogue and Bruce Wayne’s ludicrously troll-like physique. This is dark Batman done in a cartoon fashion, which doesn’t quite work.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight dir. Christopher Nolan (2008) Too much guttural Batman, not enough Bruce Wayne. Heath Ledger’s virtuoso Joker raises the stakes for a mould-breaking dénouement: the recasting of Batman as villain; yet, with the Joker a more obvious scapegoat for Two-Face’s crimes, this carefully structured transformation lacks credibility.  

Batman Begins

Batman Begins dir. Christopher Nolan (2005) Batman Begins gave Gotham City its first ever truly serious treatment. By spurning CGI in favour of real (and far more gripping) action scenes, by casting quality actors and bringing top-drawer cinematography to an intelligent script, Nolan made Batman better than ever.