When I had first seen The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012) as a youngling, Christian Bale's Batman had imprinted upon me quite profoundly and that first love affair could simply never be replaced. But I had also been a massive fan of Pattinson, and the brilliant direction of Reeves goes without saying. So, I had firmly set my expectations high as I tried to get rid of my bias for the Bale-Nolan duo.
The trailer for The Batman finally dropped on August 23rd and my oh my, did it stun me! With a reverberating bass sound and the chilling voice, The Riddler introduced the world of Batman to us. Kudos to Reeves for letting the villain introduce the hero to the audience. What a fascinating strategy! But hold on, the trailer is yet to unpack its biggest surprise.
If I had a word to introduce this cinematic world to you, I'd say Gothic. The eerie world of our Batman matches his Gothic personality. With a spine-chilling musical track (Nirvana's Something in the Way), his eyes smeared with black paint look onto the masses of Gotham awaiting answers. Dressed in a suit with dubious expressions and greasy hair, Pattinson appears dishevelled; too unbothered for up-keeping capitalistic appearances. Fair to say, he has nailed the brooding demeanour of the Batman. Pattinson emerges as a man of few words and intense expressions whose only moves are his actions declaring himself "Vengeance."
My other two favourites from the movie are none other than Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman and Jeffery Wright as Commissioner Gordon. From the looks of the featured cast, especially Catwoman, it would be fair to say that Reeves' The Batman is raw and unfiltered. Narrative, direction and casting are the heroes, supported by the visuals trying to mirror the chafed world of Gotham. The trailer definitely justifies why this movie is made for the cinemas. Only a large screen and pin drop silence could allow it to present the dark magic of Reeves' Batman.
As for Pattinson, he is about the shatter every doubt cast upon his suitability for the role of Batman. Not only is this personification of Batman different from the rest but also understands the darkness the character carries in his personality. Bale is brilliant, but Pattinson is definitely a worthy successor! I would sincerely like to hope that the fans keep an open heart and mind, absent from bias and pre-assumptions in order to understand the unique content the Reeves-Pattinson duo is about to present.
Featured Image: Warner Bros.