After two years of operating as a vigilante, Batman is called upon by the Gotham City Police Department to solve a serial killer mystery.

Robert Pattinson is cast as Batman for Matt Reeve’s 2022 film “The Batman” as a younger version of the Caped Crusader. He begins working with Lieutenant James Gordon, played by Jeffery Wright, to help identify a new serial killer on the loose in Gotham. The serial killer calls himself The Riddler (starred by Paul Dano) and seeks to spill the truth about government officials in Gotham while leaving behind a trail of clues specifically for Batman. Selina Kyle, played by Zoë Kravitz, makes her way into the picture and sheds light on the case by giving Batman an inside perspective of what important people are hiding.

The celebrity of Gotham, known as Bruce Wayne, is given a dark side that is heavily emphasized throughout the film in a way that audience members have not seen before. Because Wayne is still making his superhero persona known to the city, he is portrayed as a parallel to The Riddler. It makes viewers wonder how much they truly know about Batman. Is he an actual villain to some people?

“One of the things that became really interesting when Matt and I first started talking about ‘The Batman’ was the blue line theory,” said cinematographer Greig Fraser in an interview with Variety. “What separates good from bad when it comes to deeds? What separates a good person from a bad person if a bad person does good for a bit.”

The film crew relied on a balance of light and dark to show Pattinson playing this version of the Dark Knight. He is hidden behind the mask as the character, but we can still see the actor underneath that fans were eagerly anticipating. Something interesting to note is how certain scenes in the film only used a singular light source which heightens the simplicity behind this movie. Camera movement is minimal to give the audience an experience to provide the story with their full attention.

This Batman is not connected to any of the other DCEU films, so no homework is required to enjoy this great movie. If you’re a fan of dark gritty action, a fun and rewarding mystery, or just The Dark Knight himself, this movie is for you! I hope you enjoy it.