The Batman

The Batman cuts to the chase. There's no need for an origin story here. We all know what happened to Bruce Wayne to turn him into the Caped Crusader, Gotham City's saviour, the World's Greatest Detective. There's no need to see him traumatised once again by the murder of his parents Thomas and Martha after we've already seen them gunned down in four other films by Jack Napier/Joe Chill/randomers. Despite that being skipped over The Batman still manages to be almost 3 hours long. There's no justification for that at all. It's a fine film but that midsection....it robs the film of a lot.

We open on what we think is going to be that origin all over again but it's a trick and soon one of Gotham's political elite is wiped out. The city is in shock and Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) wastes no time in bringing the Batman (Robert Pattinson) into the investigation, a move that alienates the cops of the city who see him as a vigilante freak. Batman dives straight into the city's dark underbelly and comes into contact with The Penguin (Colin Farrell), a scarred killer who controls a mafia owned nightclub frequented by the hypocrites who claim to be on the side of good and Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), a waitress who knows more than she's letting on. As more and more well known faces die horribly in cruel Saw/Se7en-esque ways Batman finds himself drawn closer and closer to the man committing the atrocities, a masked psychopath called The Riddler (Paul Dano).

It's the first scrap that settles your nerves about this one. A confrontation in a dark subway that's just brutally efficient. Christopher Nolan's confusingly shot action isn't anywhere to be seen here, just bang, biff, whollop and done. Batman takes no shit from anyone and Robert Pattinson looks convincing taking care of business. Out of costume as Bruce Wayne he's a mopey emo kid and a million miles away from the Christian Bale/Ben Affleck sleek macho playboy version but it's a depiction that makes sense. He's traumatised by his past and he's made it his present. There's instant chemistry with Selina Kyle, another damaged soul with a shitty past, they sense it in each other and just click. Then she disappears for a whole chunk of the movie and it suffers as a result, especially in the scenes where Bruce and his butler Alfred (Andy Serkis) delve back into Bruce's past for a while. We all thought we'd get away from Thomas and Martha right? Wrong. A bedside scene (along with other drawn out and unnecessary moments) between the pair threatens to kill the film's momentum dead and it's a nuisance after all the good will built up in that opening hour.

Director Matt Reeve's take on Gotham is an effective one, skewing more towards the skanky, slimy urban landscape of Tim Burton's films and Batman Begins than the shiny metropolis of more recent films. It's a dangerous place populated with filth, wracked by random violence perpetrated by young men with nothing better to do. One of these young men is The Riddler, a psychopath not far removed from the "incel" shooters making America such a scary place to live in the 21st century. Using social media he's created a following of like minded individuals and it's his plan kicking into action that drags the film out of the mid section doldrums and gives us a topical ending to get our teeth into. He ain't the only bad guy roaming the streets though. Nope, this is a Batman film, there's always someone else knocking around and it's here that an unrecognisable Colin Farrell nearly steals the film for himself. His take on Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin leans away from the freakshow aspects of the character and more towards his vicious side, a gangland enforcer and unrepentant criminal who'll still make you laugh. He might look like a side of beef someone took a blade to but Farrell's charm and sense of humour can't help but shine through the impressive makeup. It's just a pity he's not in it for longer. More Colin would have made that dull middle hour a lot more bearable.

The Batman isn't without it's (big) fault's but it's the best take on the comic book since 2008's The Dark Knight. Despite all it's murkiness it's a fantastic looking movie (that tunnel scrap illuminated by gunfire is a PEACH), R-Pattz looks believable in and out of the costume and the energy between him and Zoë Kravitz will have you looking forward to her inevitable return in the inevitable sequel. Speaking of sequels, what until you see who tu........nah, let's leave that one for you to find out yourself.

The Batman is in cinemas now everywhere.