How did “The Batman” manage to renew such a classic character?

By YANIS DJEKBOUBI

With $672.8 at the box office, The Batman is THE successful movie of 2022’s first trimester. Indeed, after an impressively heavy marketing campaign, many trailers, and an unstoppable hype from the fans but also the general public, The Batman finally arrived in our dark movie theaters on March 4th in the United States, and on March 2nd in many other places such as Europe. Despite its incredible success, this movie was a pretty unsure bet that paid off. Indeed, renewing this movie was a risky task as the last batman to date was The Dark Knight (considered as the best one ever made by many). So how did DC and Warner Bros manage to pull it off so successfully?

We answered this question just for you here at the High Arrow

 

1) An all-star casting.

You heard that right! No matter how good a movie is, having an all-star casting WILL give a whole new dimension, reach and appeal to it. DC knew this when making The Batman. Indeed, the movie has an impressive duo on its cover : Robert Pattinson as Batman and Zoe Kravitz as Cat Woman. We also can see some names such as Colin Farell as the Penguin and even Andy Serkis as Alfred. The decision on casting Robert Pattinson as Batman was really criticized before the movie release. It therefore was a worldwide big surprise when people finally watched the movie and realized that he was perfect for the role, as he brought a new, darker and reality grounded version of the already known character.

 

2) A beautiful movie.

Directed by the already famous Matt Reaves, The Batman is a breathtaking visual experience from the beginning to the end.  From the lens it uses, to the lighting and the camera movements, the movie knew how to amaze its audience. And it really did. Indeed, it is one of the biggest praise fans use towards the movie. One scene in particular, is still on people’s minds: the car chase. From its complexity to the lighting of it and of course, the end where the batmobile jumps from the fire and Batman walks towards that car… Chills! The Something In The Way score does not miss and adds a whole new dimension to the vibe that the movie gives. And this is all without even talking about this AMAZING shot of him leading the innocents through the water by the end of the movie.

 

3) A darker movie.

Batman is known for being a dark, realistic character. And we all got to watch a version of this darkness in The Dark Knight, directed  by Christopher Nolan. But boy, we were not ready AT ALL for the darkness that The Batman brought to us. This movie displays to us an inexperienced Batman, with inner conflict issues due to the influence he gives. He scared people, even innocents and is considered a vigilante by the police. His sign in the sky is a nightmare to any criminal, because as he says in the movie : ‘They think I hide in the shadows, but I am the shadows”. But still he continues fighting for justice and freedom. 

But what do IHS students think about it? We asked them! “I think this version is way better. It’s darker and way more realistic!” says Chris Norton, an 11th grader. Another student, Lauren Vu, a 12th grader, says “I’d give it a 9/10 because it’s kind of long at times, but it’s truly a masterpiece”.  “I haven’t watched it yet, but I heard amazing reviews about it, can’t wait to watch it!” says Fiona McQuaide, an 10th grader.

So basically this movie is a MUST SEE for anyone who likes superhero movies, but also beautiful scenery and darkness. We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next!

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