Why Robert Pattinson's Batman Feels More Personal 

When the opening and ending of the movie are literally delivered with the inner monologues of the main character, it really does give you some sense on how personal this take will be

“Corporate color palette” is the most apt descriptor of that visual style I’ve ever seen

Let's also remember, that you need a solid actor to create the "intimacy" and "emotionally engaging" you speak of and Robert Pattinson did that. Props to Battinson!

A few great choices by Matt Reeves in no particular order. 1) The subtle but noticeable reaction both times as Bruce/ Batman encounters the mayor's son. A. wealthy young man with horrific first-hand knowledge of the death of a parent. 2) showing us the visceral fear and hesitation Batman encounters before jumping off the roof of police headquarters. A pretty understandable reaction. 3) taking us to the conclusion of that jump. Batman was right to be afraid, he gets hurt. Not too badly but enough that we see he is in serious pain. 4) stalling the Batmobile. Hey, stuff happens to Batman too. 5) the look on Batman's face as the catastrophic highway accident begins to unfold. You can see this chase isn't going the way he had envisioned. 6) taking Alfred's hand in the hospital. It's very subtle but several people have extended their hand to Batman throughout the movie. Alfred is the first one he's actually taken. Alfred isn't Bruce's father but now Bruce has had Alfred far longer than he had Thomas in his life. He was wrong to distance himself from Alfred and knows it now. In a way he has been fighting crime with the help of his dad. Just not his biological one. 7) the well-educated Batman doesn't speak Spanish and his wealthy upbringing doesn't allow him to recognize a common flooring tool. 8) his realizations that you can't punch crime away, he needs to be a symbol of both fear to the evil and hope to the good and that he is at least partially responsible for the Riddler. Batman's expression upon hearing henchmen also called himself "vengeance" was very well done.

I am a big fan of the Nolan films. This one was also great. It was a really cool take on Batman. Robert Pattinson did an excellent job. You can really see the pain in his eyes throughout the film. Great job with your analysis as usual

I’m a huge Batman movie fan, and have watched the Burton series when I was a child, and grew up into an adult with Nolan. I love them all to this day. But this Batman was the only one that made me care about the character. I realized how much the former films relied on the villains and not Bruce. This Bruce was so sad and emotionally stunted, and the movie captures it masterfully.

"The Batman" is indeed a breath of fresh air in the super-hero movie landscape. I still like Nolan's trilogy, but Reeves' given me my favorite Batman - second only to TAS.

I love how these films can coexist and one isn't all out better than the other. For example, in Batman Begins the dock scene where Batman first appears plays out like an Alien or Predator horror movie. Something moving fast in the shadows and picking people off one by one. But in The Batman you can HEAR him slowly approaching you. An unstoppable force that is coming for you and there's nothing you can do about it, like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. Both films adopt horror movie tropes and that's amazing to me.

I love the Nolan trilogy but I liked The Batman for its introduction to "Year Two" Batman, which is more faithful to the comics. In addition, Nolan's Batman was never really depicted as "The World's Greatest Detective" as Batman was originally presented as. I loved in the start of the movie that Gordon brought him to the crime scene so he could look around and give his opinion on what had occurred. Christian Bale's Batman also had a guy who had all his military-grade tech ready made for him, pretty much; all he had to do was paint it black and make a few minor modifications. The Batman's Bruce Wayne makes a midair miscalculation with his Bat-flight suit and crashes into the sidewalk-just like you'd expect Year Two Batman to do. He's still raw, angry, and trying to figure out how he's going to go about fighting crime. But, that's just my POV.

I've heard a lot that Nolan films tend to be emotionally distant and cold. Even though I vaguely agreed with that criticism, I never found it totally convincing. Your points about Nolan's shot selection, framing and color correction resonated a lot with me. His Dark Knight trilogy really have a pristine sheen to it which looks great in IMAX but maybe takes away from the movie's character. Batman Begins is probably the only one that actually tries to create a gothic atmosphere and leans into it's imperfections. It also happens to be the only movie where Bruce Wayne feels like the main character. The Dark Knight is a master class in narrative momentum but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of meaningful character moments for Batman. They are still fantastic movies but I think I'm starting to realize that my taste in movies began to change with age.

My favorite moment of any Batman character on the small or big screen is when he is trying to escape and you see the initial fear when he looks off the side of the building. This 3-4 second gem humanizes Batman in a way no one else has. It draws the viewer in because we can relate to that fear he felt and we share that same feeling with him. He is not simply a machine that takes risks with no emotion, he is a man that has to face his fear to accomplish a goal. It is a tremendous part of the character's growth and you see later in the movie that he does not hesitate when face with a similar situation. Not to mention, his motivations in those different moments. He hesitates when the only motivation is his own self-preservation. At the end, he jumps confidently because the focus is saving others. Really nice detail and depth this version brought to the character.

There seems to be a ton of little details sprinkled throughout the movie that pay homage to all the Batmen that came before it. The one thing I can’t unsee now is Adam Wests mask in Pattinsons mask.

The close up shot and depth of field actually complements the talent of the actors and it is why we keep finding little details specially with Robert's eyes throughout the movie. How he seemed shocked and betrayed when he was being confronted from Gordon in GCPD after the bomb, the moment he said "You too?" his eyes and face just expressed that he felt betrayal. Also when he was riding the bike in the end and look through the mirror seeing Selina riding away from him, we see him daydream for a second, the life he could have before he blinked again and looked forward, more focused!

Felt like Batman was gonna break his no killing rule in this film in some scenes Robert did the dark knight so good felt like every criminal he beat up was the man who killed his parents.

Nolan also did a pretty deep take on the Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins - but he did it differently. As you said, Nolan's character was more stoic, and that was his way to deal with the emotions after the whole yourney through the film. Reeves Batman is more voulnareble, and willing to confront his emotions, to dig out the throuth, instead of hiding it. That is the main difference, and it shows also the change in society - we stopped perceiving emotions as a weakness (overcoming ot using fear, and grief like a tool in Nolan's trilogy). We generally see them as strenght, source of humanity, and wisdom instead. That's why I love both takes on Batman - it shows different perspectives.

Oh, absolutely. Best live action Batman in my lifetime. Hands down. His Bruce Wayne looks downright haunted. Yet, at the end, it gave us a glimpse of Batman’s heart. A light in the darkness. So good. They GET Batman in a way I don’t believe Nolan did.

You nailed the reasons why this film has had such a huge effect on me. It’s a weird thing but the more I see the film, the more I love it. That’s a rare phenomenon in this age of CBM’s.

This movie is my favorite beginning of a Batman franchise and easily my favorite Batman interpretation.This movie showcases how one deals with darkness in their lives which is shown through the three orphans of the Movie who grew up in darkness:Catwoman,Batman and Riddler and seek to exact vengeance in their own way.Unlike Bruce the other 2 lived differently and Bruce sees how different their lives were as opposed to him.Catwoman lived in darkness for so long that she was trying to get back at the one who was the source of it.Batman feels dull because in this movie unlike all the previous iterations,he actually is learning how to be a hero and symbol at a solid pace.If this was the seasoned comic version of Batman nothing in this movie wouldn’t be suspenseful at all.The biggest problem when adapting Batman is because he easily seems too capable in every situation he is in.This is why in all his movies he usually is a backseat player or reactive way too late.Pattinson in tandem with the cinematography tells so much with his facial expressions and movements,especially how it subtly tells his origin in the shots when Bruce looks at the kid.This Incredible sense of detail and distinct style not only give Gotham a distinct atmosphere but makes it feel like a character drenched in darkness as well.Imo this movie used its 3 hours perfectly, with a huge mystery story like this you need a lot of Time fleshing out the detective angle and unraveling a mystery.This movie was never trying to be a absolute continuation of the comic version of Batman,it’s an interpretation while following a noire story.This movie follows the ongoing narrative about Batman excellently. It’s about Moving past ones darkness into the light and Batman rediscovering his humanity and the good of the common man through mostly Gordon,and people who want to make a difference.Which leads to someone who is the antithesis,Riddler who lost his humanity and tries to plummet gotham into everlasting darkness.This gives batman/Bruce a palatable character arc which is something previous Batman movies failed to do.This arc makes Bruce feel real rather than writers defaulting to writing superficial ideas of darkness and glorification of violence.

What really sticks out to me is that this movie *feels* so different, but is still most certainly a Batman film. The emphasis on Batman using his detective skills, more than his combat was very much appreciated, especially since there *is* fighting, but they don't overcook it. It's like the filmmakers knew that the audience knows that Batman is a badass fighter. So they tried to show a side of Batman that had only been touched on, but not necessarily explored, in previous films.

You’re giving Reeves at lot of credit on shot direction and visual style. Greig Fraser played a huge role in both of those aspects and is a master at creating stunning images that truly act as a plot device and not just hanging his hat on a marquee visual style (I.e. Wes Anderson films).

Having had some time to think about it, I'm pretty confident in saying Pattinson is my favorite Batman thus far. In fact, I'd say it's my favorite Batman film altogether. The Nolan films were great in their own right, fun action movies that made the caped crusader superhero fantasy accessible to anyone. But there's a certain artistry and reverence for the source material here that just feels more authentic, less compromising. It doesn't feel like I even need to see a prequel series of a sequel film. It just stands on its own as a visually engrossing and thoughtful take on Batman. I had really low expectations for this going in, especially when the lady at the counter warned us it was a 3 hour movie, but as soon as it started I felt a huge wave of relief. The way they humanized Bruce and took Batman back to his "world's greatest detective" roots made this movie feel so refreshing. And I can't lie, I actually want to go back to the theatres and see all 3 hours of it again. This video did an incredible job of breaking down the many technical and artistic reasons I haven't been able to stop thinking about this movie. Great work.

I both liked and hated that this movie was so claustrophobic with its very close-angle shots. You’re like in the characters’ faces all the time, including in the car chase. *Hated* because it had me tense and anxious the whole movie, but *liked* because it had me invested and completely attentive - hooked. That was brilliant

Probably the most in depth the Batman essay I’ve seen yet, great work

honestly one of the best analysis of the batman ive seen yet, and ive been watching a lot of them. thank you.

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde

I love Nolan's trilogy and those movies are easier to watch. Fast-paced, epic and with a lot of action but The Batman is more like a comic of Batman than the Nolan trilogy. The Batman IS Batman.

This is an absolutely brilliant analysis. Will check out more of your content as I'm slowly getting more into film reviews and watching them for the art

you did such a good job with this video keep up the great work !!

I felt more attached with matt reeves batman then the Nolan's one. I never thought that DOF can do so much with our brain and physiology to make scenes extremely personal. And hats off to Pattinson for putting out exact amount of emotions on camera that make batman feel more human form of superhero. And really thanks for this awesome analysis. 👏

I loved the Nolan series but The Batman put me through so many emotions, what a great piece of cinema. Thank you for the breakdown on this, I love learning more about film making

A very nice observation. This analyse of you makes me look and appreciate the movie on a deeper level. I thank you for that.

I liked this Batman because he felt more human imo.

Another thing I realised when watching Nolan’s films was how I seemingly resonated better with the villains and anti-heroes rather than Batman/Bruce Wayne, with the exception of Batman Begins. Whilst I never fully sympathised with Joker, Bane or Harvey Dent (to an extent), I would be lying if I didn’t say that some of their actions were justified. I could never fully relate or sympathise with Bruce Wayne as well as I could with the villains. Pattinson engrossed me. His 2 monologues were moving and powerful, the cinematography does a great job at highlighting an intense gothic atmosphere with lots of emotion and most importantly the actual character of Batman in Reeves’ felt more organic. Nolan’s Batman seemed to have Batman always trying to be ‘better’ than the villain, I never remembered him empathising or understanding the justification of the villains. Pattison’s on the other hand acknowledges the disgust and filth of Gotham. He tells Gordon that the men killed by Riddler deserved it because they were just as bad, if not worse, than the criminals he is fighting. I found this to be much more relatable. He’s able to see Gotham for what it truly is which is why he’s always so angry and brooding (you can see it in his fighting style) compared to Bale’s which I never really felt was conveyed well especially when the cinematography felt so grand and bright.

Great analysis as always! I love this movie so much, really respectful to the Batman universe and characters.

I would like to imagine the matchup of Pattinson's more meticulous and collected portrayal of Batman against Heath Ledger's Joker. To me, Joker won in The Dark Knight, so I would like to really fantasize on the more detective side of Batman against a insane yet intelligent Joker, and see them trying to crack each other's plans. If only so, but unfortunately it's only a thought.

This is a fantastic video essay. Looking forward to reading more.

I never loved the nolan movies as much as other people did. idk for me it was just always missing something about Batman, perhaps it's the ambience. perhaps it's the way christan bale portrays batman, maybe it's the lack of detective work beyond a few scenes. idk growing up watching the animated series, reading the comic and being a huge batman fan my entire life has always made me have certain expectations for my batman movies. Nolan as great of a director as he is, just missed the mark for me. tdk is really good becuase of Heath tbh. he's the person who really sells the movie for me. The Batman however scratched that batman itch I've had for awhile now it just made me feeling like I was watching a comic come to life. It felt like the batman I knew. The person who sold this movie for me was the character I came to see, batman. so congrats Robert Pattinson you're my favorite live action batman.

The quality and quantity of your video output is unreal. Keep up the great work.

very well explained..u really focused alot on making this video good and btw the batman was amazingly awesome

I honestly can't stop thinking about this movie. Every choice is so entrancing and gives so much dimension to the characters.

This video is just as well made as the movie, this really wraps up everything good about the movie, it's visuals, it's characters, and it's themes, and smoothly connects them all together.

Fantastic analysis that really captured the heart of this film masterpiece. Thanks for the great work!

this was a wonderfully thoughtful breakdown. felt like a video id use teaching film students.

I love the observations here, there are something i felt in the theater, only observed (like the depth of focus & POV approach) but didn't realized its effect on the film viewing experience.

What an analysis brother, consistency and quality remain constant when it comes to your reviews; thank you for yet another great piece of artistry.

really like this channel i found really in depth analysis videos that are great to watch keep it up man i appreciate the work

Really good analysis, I learnt a lot and will deffo look for this when watching again!

Great analysis, please keep up the good work

Outstanding synopsis. Absolutely spot on.

Because I very much enjoyed all your content and honestly learned a lot from it I trust your opinion. That means: I have to watch that movie now because of your first sentences in your video and watch the video afterwards. I really enjoy having found your channel! Great work!

Your observation about DoF is spot on. Well done.

One of the best if not the best video essay I’ve seen about Matt reeves the Batman

Your analysis is always amazing. Nice experience watch it. Congrats!

I thought nothing would ever top Nolan's trilogy....and then I watched this. Still blown away.

What a great analysis you have made of this awesome movie.

Very good explanation and highlights of Cinematography

I wish everyone who doubts this could watch this video to understand that this is the purest representation of Batman to ever grace the big screen.

For this movie to be made, the nolan films had to be made. It’s a great breath of fresh air for Batman on the big screen! Both reeves and nolan share the top spot

WoW!!! this was a fantastic presentation!

The beginning 15 minutes really set the tone of the whole film. And I was hooked. I love love this movie with my whole heart.

I agree with the use of blurr effect in the movie. Similar effect was used in the movie Army of the Dead, but it was too much and became irritating very very quickly. In this case, it added to the drama and the mystery.

The thing that I love about this film is the last person i'd cast as batman would be Robert Pattinson but he owns this role!

Nicely analyzed! 👏

really great analysis of the foreground focus. even if you are not technically aware of what you are watching you physically feel the effect.

how has this channel not blown up yet

Incredible incredible dissection sir. Very honorably earned a follower out of me and I'm sure many many more to come soon

This has been an very educational thanks man👍🏽

beautiful take, well spoken, you have more than earned a like from me!

The Batman is a great movie but the batman begins is the most character driven superhero movie I have ever seen. Literally half of the movie was dedicated to Bruce's character transformation into Batman without any subplots and most importantly the orgin of his 'no kill rule'. The Batman maybe the 3rd best batman movie after TDR and Bataman Begins.

After watching the movie 3 times, and going through the Nolan trilogy again, I am more invested and interested where the new movie series goes next.

I really appreciate your analysis here. It helps me in my own creative process. I’m a huge fan of this film and this helps me understand why. Thank you!

Such a lovely film, and you gave excellent explanations for everything.

You’re absolutely fucking right, I totally forgot how I felt in theaters after Rachel dies and it was a complete shock and then the following scene with Alfred and Bruce steal his Batman suit and not feeling the emotional reverence from Bruce Wayne losing his childhood friend

It really says a lot that most people compare this movie to the dark knight. A first installment compared to a second. The first bale movie isn’t even mentioned in the conversation usually.

Batman's vulnerability is shown in Batman Begins perfectly when he tried to stalk on the scarecrow and failed.

amazing video thannk you, gave me another great perspective on my favourite Batman film

I just finished watching the movie ngl I have to admit I didn’t think it was going to be interesting but this movie actually depicts who Batman is but out of nostalgia bias I have to go with the dark knight trilogy though this felt more darker and had me glued to what the riddler had in mind

Perfect analyzation. It’s why The Batman and TDK are equal for me. A movie finally from Batman’s perspective as the main focus for once and not just a plot device.

Great commentaries!!!!!

Super analysis, great video!

Both were great. Both were different, both felt different and that difference makes both legendary.

The fact that they compare this film to The Dark Knight and not Batman Begins speaks volumes about its quality as a cinematic work.

Great video. Thank you so much. 👍

Loved your analysis.

I love how I only realized that Batman was manipulated by Riddler when he himself realized it in the end.

Fantastic video. The Batman is my favorite film as of now. I saw it 6 times in the theater, and it's basically been on a constant loop at my house since the release on HBO Max. It feels like Matt Reeves crawled inside my head and made the exact Batman film I've always wanted to see. I almost can't believe it's real. The design of the cowl/suit, the cinematography, the story, the detective Batman, the cast, the use of anamorphic lenses, the score, literally EVERYTHING!! Plus, this film got me through one of the darkest times of my life. This film will forever be extremely special to me. It goes without saying that it's my absolute favorite Batman film. And it's not even close. I'd love to shake the hands of all the cast and crew.

I read that Matt reeves painstakingly went over every shot and sometimes took up to 200+ takes to get details just right (eg. he made Zoe keep her mouth slightly open in one scene because the difference would convey a different emotion). It was definitely well worth the effort, as you pointed out here - I’m definitely going to rewatch this with all these narrative details in mind

Great analysis!!

What is so great is that in Reeve's The Batman, the camera takes it time. As opposed to Nolan's frantic camera work.

I love Nolan's films, but I kinda think this one did right a lot of the same things Rises tried and failed to do, in my opinion. It showed a fight for the city, depicted a corrupt police force, and tackled why the Batman is The Batman, without resorting to cheaper elements like twist villains and rushed romantic betrayals. It took Batman to a low point, a grounded and deeply personal low point to do with his motivations and self-image rather than dropping him into a metaphorical manifestation of the well he fell into as a child with a broken back. It showed the grizzly nature of corruption and how it affects the citizens like Annika and Selena, rather than a court of cartoon villains being ridiculously evil and sob stories from seemingly well off characters like Ann Hathaway and Joseph-Gordon Levitt. In Rises, the corruption of Gotham was a fable that villains used to gaslight citizens into feeling sorry for themselves and blaming the system for how miserable they were before they pulled themselves together and made something of themselves. You never saw it, you only heard characters complain about how it affected them a long time ago in their distant pasts. The stakes for Bane vs. Batman over Gotham's corruption were imaginary. In The Batman, you see the corruption, you see street violence, you see drop heads, you see corpses, you see smear campaigns, you see cover ups, you hear horror stories that would make Joseph-Gordon's orphanage character go quiet. You see it all, and you feel the affect it has on the two lead protagonists. No epic slug fest with a physical superior, but instead an introspective challenge that just makes the character AND setting feel more authentic than ever before depicted. No hard feelings Rises fans, the themes are there in trademark Nolan broad strokes. I just prefer to see rather than hear, or I don't get invested.

Great work man. So accurate.

such a nice insight on the movie..well done..

I like how this filmed ended with how Batman films should end, Batman being feared by criminals and believed in by the people of Gotham

Matt Reeves is basically what Christopher Nolan would be like if he didn't forget how to convey human emotions.

Spot on! Great breakdown and analysis. :^)

Great video and good analysis

The Godfather and The Batman are in my opinion the best movies I’ve seen. Every aspect is so meticulously crafted. True masterpieces.

The trailer made me believe this would be a low budget cashgrab after the failure of other DC projects. And while I do consider the Nolan trilogy to be some of the best movies in the latest decades, I do think this Batman is the best of the series and sets an even newer standard for what a Batman movie should be that was established in Joker. Basically a specific niche of realistic movies and social commentary. This is different than the often clean and stylized superhero movies, mostly flashy fun. I think the message about how alone Batman is, driven by a personal duty to be the vengeance, and that it only gives him suspicion by the police force, while other groups rally together to create their own justice, so perfectly captures our contemporary world.

Just discovered your channel minutes ago, and Wow, what an amazing analysis of The Batman|! Saw the movie 4 days ago and enjoyed it more than anything I've seen in a long time. Wasn't sure why, but your analysis gives us a lot to think about. I don't even know if your take on the reasons for the director's choices is right (like, did you read it in an interview with Reeves?), but everything you said makes so much sense and now that you've shined that light, I can see it for myself. Really, really love - and respect - any writer, director, artist who can pick up on a pattern or theme and really "see it" all the way through. Because you saw all this, your video is a great, great watch. Thank you!

Beautiful analysis