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!

You May Also Like...

IHS Green Bandana attends youth mental health conference

By High Arrow Staff On Friday, February 6, 2026, members of the IHS Green Bandana Project attended the NAMI Youth Mental Health Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. This conference is one of the only conferences in the country specializing in children, adolescents, and transition-age youth. Prior to the conference, students had an opportunity to submit an essay to the Youth Mental Health Leadership Award Essay Contest. This award recognizes the passion and courage of young leaders who are committed to fighting the stigma of mental health conditions, providing a safe community for peers to share their own mental health experiences, and empowering peers through education.  We are pleased to announce that IHS senior Anna Carnovale was the 2026 Youth Mental Health Leadership Award recipient. Anna was presented with her award, alongside a $1,000 prize, during the luncheon portion of the conference.  The IHS Green Bandana Project would like to thank the

Read More »

Bad Case of Senioritis

By Zoey Motto With graduation just a stone’s throw away, it is no surprise that seniors all over are starting to come down with a bad case of senioritis. So, what is senioritis and how are seniors working to manage it and prevent it from undermining their motivation and success? Senioritis, which has been going on since the beginning of schooling, is the time in which a senior is so close to the end, that they are blinded by it. The excitement of graduation and what comes after distracts them from the now. When asked what she thinks causes senioritis, IHS Senior Isabella Grim stated, “I think seniors are just excited about graduation and finishing high school so they don’t want to do any school work.” The overwhelming feelings of procrastination and stress that comes with senioritis makes seniors just want to not do anything. IHS Senior Sweetsage Barrera commented

Read More »

The Super Bowl: Sunday’s biggest stage

By Sami Williams It’s finally here, the final game of the NFL, the Super Bowl! The Super Bowl is the most-watched NFL game, as thousands of people watch it worldwide. This year, the Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 8. The game takes place at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California. The Seattle Seahawks will play against the New England Patriots. People will probably be cheering for the Seattle Seahawks, as most are tired of seeing the New England Patriots win. The Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories, with both teams having 6 Super Bowl trophies. Mr. James Dykun, IHS French teacher, commented, “I will be cheering for the Seahawks, because who likes the Patriots?” Although Junior Sydney Adamsky will be cheering for the Seahawks, she commented, “I think the Patriots will win even though I want the Seahawks to take home the win

Read More »

Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

By Alexis Nyland Groundhog Day officially started on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, PA, when a local newspaper editor Clymer Freas and a group of hunters made a trek to Gobbler’s Knob to see a groundhog for a weather prediction. German immigrants brought the tradition of using a hibernating animal to predict the length of winter. In Pennsylvania, German settlers adapted the tradition to use the groundhog. IHS sophomore Ava Hutchinson voiced her opinion on why we have the tradition, “I think we have it just for entertainment and the fact that it brings a lot of people together, even if it is just a silly tradition,” and she wasn’t far off. The event was inspired to formalize local folklore and promote the town. Groundhog Day marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Ashton Goss, a sophomore at IHS, when asked if he likes the tradition

Read More »

Color reveal videos kick off sign-ups for Mini-THON

By Anna Carnovale IHS Leadership builds anticipation for Mini-THON with the color reveals and first round of draft picks. The color reveal videos were released on Jan. 5, 7, 8  and 9, and left the school talking about it. The variety of fun videos revealed that the colors are pink, yellow, blue and purple. Also, starting on Jan. 5 were early, early-bird, and early-bird sign-ups for Mini-THON. From now through Feb. 11, you can sign up for 20 dollars and still receive a t-shirt. Starting on Feb. 12 students can still sign up, but the price increases, and they will not receive a t-shirt.  IHS leadership has been working hard to increase the number of participants this year. Senior and member of IHS Leadership, Julia Antonacci, comments that she starred as Fear in an Inside Out-themed color reveal video, which revealed yellow as their color. She moves on to say

Read More »

Senior Career Seminar Program sets Indiana Senior High School students up for a successful future career

By Anna Carnovale Seniors at Indiana Senior High School have the chance to participate in the Senior Career Seminar Program. This is an educational internship program aimed at helping students learn about potential future careers. This opportunity allows students to have an out of the classroom real world learning experience and is aimed at setting students up for success in their future careers.   IHS seniors can opt out of morning or afternoon classes in exchange for an internship at a career-related experience. Students earn credit for their internship in place of the classes they would normally take at the high school, provided they still meet their required classes for graduation. This program differs from others at IHS because students must seek their own employment, resulting in a large pool of opportunities. Students must work at least 10 hours per week, in addition to completing all classwork. Classwork for these students

Read More »