The Batman (2022) Review

One of my other, more personal points of annoyance with the movie was how Catwoman's relationship to other characters was written. I believe her being Falcone's daughter could have been a good plot/character device if it was carried through, which it wasn't. She seemed to have two points of strong emotional investment in the case, one being her friend and the other being avenging her mother(?). In the second half of the film it really seemed like her desire to find justice for Annika was overshadowed by her familial relationship to Falcone, and like the movie couldn't choose between the two, which confused me. I don't think her familial relationship to Falcone was necessary, and I think the movie could have been just as strong, if not stronger through more emphasis on how Annika's death impacted Catwoman and her character, without it. This critique is very small, and not one I expect people to rally behind, but it just irked me, especially my second time watching. 

I don't expect any superhero movie, or any movie for that matter, to be infallible in its politics and handling of social issues. I think The Batman does have some self awareness in how topical issues were handled in the movie. Ultimately, corruption and crime is bigger than Gotham, and bigger than any Batman movie, and I'd like to believe the writers knew that to some extent. One last point that is both a critique and something I liked about the movie was the highlighting of class privilege and class divide. Bruce Wayne is extremely rich, and he could not have gotten to where he was today. Both Catwoman and The Riddler make a point of this, The Riddler more so when he expresses his disdain for the pitied, glamorous lifestyle of Bruce, even though he was an orphan. I think that jealousy and obsession was a great point of their relationship and The Riddler's character, and I wish that it had extended past The Batman's personal relationships. Beyond Batman's vigilante status and enactment of momentary justice, there are so many ways he could help the people of Gotham financially, as pointed out by Bella Real when she tries to talk to him. I think sub-textually, there was meant to be a point of Bruce's cognitive dissonance; he spends the whole movie wishing he can make a change but can't look past his actions as The Batman, rather than his potential actions as Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne has almost become obsolete in his mind, and the only impact he can conceptualize is when he puts on his suit and beats up bad guys. I don't think this is a story flaw, but rather a character flaw that I wish had been touched on more, but I will remain content with it nonetheless. 

None of this is to say that I did not like the movie, or think it's a bad movie. The few things I didn't like are few and far between compared to how amazing of a movie I think it was. I loved the take on the Gotham universe, and the setup for future movies. Honestly, this movie reignited my love for Batman, and I'm sure others share a similar sentiment. The production, writing, and story were fantastic across the board and I am excited to see more in this universe. Overall I would give it a 4/5, and I'm excited to hear and read other people's thoughts on the movie. Thank you for reading!