The anticipation was killing me. Finally, after months of waiting, I was going to see the new Batman film. It was going to be the movie that not only put an end to all the speculation but also gave the world an insight into the amazing mind of one of Hollywood’s most iconic and desirable actors.
The lights coming up, the dramatic music, and the sight of Christian Bale in full Batman mode were all I needed to set the mood. I got my wish. The movie wasn’t just good, it was spectacular. In fact, it was so good that the biggest question now is, will it be able to hold its spot as the best Batman film ever made?
The Making Of The Bat
The making of the Batman was such a unique experience. Director Matt Reeves didn’t want to follow any conventional path and instead decided to go his own way to provide an insight into the dark side of Gotham City. Much like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Reeves wanted to give the audience a glimpse into what life is like for a legendary superhero. He also wanted to show how a character as complex as Batman can have so many different interpretations. Not only that, but he wanted to create something that was rooted in reality.
While speaking to Metro UK, Reeves said, “I think that it is really important for people to understand that Batman is a real character, and he’s not a comic book character. He has reality checks that people can relate to. Even for me, as a big comic book fan, it was really important to go into creating this character to understand where he’s coming from.”
Indeed, the filmmakers wanted to humanize the character and give him a more relatable quality. While Christian Bale’s intense workout routine served as a great metaphor for Bruce Wayne’s struggle to overcome anger and alienation, it was also a way of connecting with the audience. We’re all human. Even the most well-trained and highly-paid professionals in the world have their weaknesses, and a lot of us have anger management problems. I think that’s what attracted me to the role, is that it’s such a complicated character, and it’s almost like you’re getting into the mind of a psychopath.”
An Unrealistic Approach
Besides wanting to ground the Batman in reality, Reeves also desired to put a different spin on the character, showing a darker side to the Caped Crusader. For this reason, Matt Reeves decided to go the extra mile in order to create an authentic-feeling Batman movie. The end result is something that looks and feels different from any other Hollywood film. It’s a gritty, realistic depiction of Gotham City as seen through the prism of an extreme mental illness. Take a look.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the director said, “There are a lot of stylistic touches that I want to avoid, or at least try to pull off as perfectly as possible, because I don’t think it’s possible to make something that looks perfect all the time. So I’m sort of interested in pushing the envelope in terms of what is possible and still keeping it natural and keeping it real.”
This is what sets Reeves’ interpretation of Batman apart. While other directors might draw inspiration from comic books or previous film iterations, Reeves wanted to go his own way, making something that was organic and unique to the story he was trying to tell.
The Psychological Impact
There are plenty of Batman villains out there, but Christian Bale’s performance as the Dark Knight is what will stay with you long after the movie has ended. Much like Heath Ledger’s Joker, Bale takes the role of a personal demon who uses humor to get what he wants. This approach to villainy is something that was inspired by Richard Nixon, who often employed this kind of strategy in real life. While acting, Bale discovered that humor could be an effective way to diffuse tension and showcase humility. Furthermore, he found that it was easier for him to play a humorous character, since he himself is an accomplished comedienne.
This knowledge allowed him to infuse his character with a level of complexity and pathos that places his performance among the greatest of all time. In a way, Richard Nixon’s sociopathy and narcissism made him the perfect role model for Bruce Wayne. While some might see this as an unflattering comparison, it’s a common theme among Batman villains. From the Penguin to the Riddler, these characters are motivated by ego and have a grandiose sense of self-importance. For that reason, they often serve as thinly veiled personifications of their creators’ personalities. This probably explains why so many of them are motivated by fear. It’s not that they’re greedy or jealous, it’s often that they believe that someone or something they love is going to threaten them.
Why Now?
Although Batman has been around for more than 80 years, it wasn’t until the 21st century that he started to become a popular topic on social media. In fact, the character was a trending topic on Twitter during the 2017 Oscars, when Christian Bale’s win for Best Actor was announced. While his previous performances had won him some critical acclaim, this was the first time that people were paying attention to Batman, and not just because he was playing a larger-than-life superhero on screen.
This was most likely inspired by the hit TV series, The Mask, which premiered in 2017, and renewed the fascination with the Caped Crusader. After years of relative obscurity, Batman has slowly begun to creep his way back into pop culture. This is probably because of Netflix and Marvel, who have both produced numerous high-quality series, making it much easier for people to become familiar with the characters. Of course, there’s also been a rise in online communities, such as The Asylum, whose unofficial tagline is, “Where Villains Are Heroes.” This is largely due to the success of shows like Bojack Horseman and Mr. Peabody & Mr. Sherman, which humanized animal villains and made them more approachable. In that way, these characters’ popularity can be attributed to our own willingness to accept villainy as a viable option. When faced with a choice between good and evil, most of us would rather side with the lesser of two evils. It’s not that we’re enamored of darkness; it’s just that we understand it better than we understand light.
The Future Of Batman
With the theatrical exhibition of Shazam! coming up this week, it’s once again time for us to be inundated with new information about one of the most iconic and desirable actors of our time. While much of what we know about Robert Pattinson comes from the tabloids or unverified reports, there’s still a lot we don’t know. For example, are his children with his partner, Rosie, ready to step into the limelight? Is he secretly married to Kristen Stewart? Does he actually have a twin brother that was left behind at birth? Thanks to modern technology, we may never know the answers to these questions.
What we do know for sure is that Robert Pattinson is an extraordinary actor who continues to evolve as an artist and a person, year after year. While his performance as the cursed Dr. Jekyll will always be associated with his time playing the role of the definitive English gentleman, it’s his work as the Batman that will remain his greatest achievement. As we’ve established, this is a character who continues to enthrall audiences and provide us with a wealth of information about mental illness, guilt, and regret. While we wait for the next chapter, we can at least take solace in the fact that as long as there are movie theaters, there will always be a place for the Batman.