Rack your brain for the most iconic superhero ever. 

Some will say Superman. He was the first ever superhero. 

Some will say Spider-Man. He’s the most relatable and he began Marvel. 

But for my money, the one superhero above them all is Batman.

There hadn’t been a true Batman solo film since 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” With the new style and vision of director Matt Reeves’ The Batman the hype was unreal. There were barely any tickets available a whole week after the theatrical release.

So how did the film turn out? 

From start to finish this world was captivating. 

The cinematography was incredible with beautiful and meaningful shots as well as a very dark and gritty but fitting color scheme. Overall the gritty and tougher tone made this world feel lived in and I just want to explore it more.

 The soundtrack also fit this world well. The main theme was slow but emotional and really represented the introspective feeling throughout the movie. 

Another great song in the movie was “Something in the Way” by Nirvana. It could race through the chorus in the action heavy moments but also slow and make you feel the lyrics in the noir style moments. 

The soundtrack was bone chilling and really hooked you in.

One different idea that “The Batman” used was the idea of Batman being a detective, an idea that hasn’t ever been properly utilized in a Batman movie before. 

This is something that the fans and Reeves wanted for a long time because of Batman’s moniker as “the world’s greatest detective” in the comics. 

This was an interesting new aspect of an old character and another reason why this movie felt so fresh.

Going into this film there was some controversy surrounding the casting decisions. Robert Pattinson, who was known for Twilight, was cast to play the menacing lead. Also, the traditionally white characters Jim Gordon and Catwoman were played by Jeffery Wright and Zoe Kravitz, two people of color.

People complained that the actors would change the characters too much and that the actors didn’t fit the roles. However, the cast knocked it out of the park! They put a new but fun spin on old characters and played off of each other extremely well. I would argue that the cast is one thing that this film does better than all past Batman films.

How does the whole film stack up against past Batman films? 

Even though I love “The Batman” it’s my opinion that nothing will ever top Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”. “The Dark Knight” is widely considered not just one of the best superhero films ever but one of the best movies overall. However I can confidently say that The Batman is a safe second place.

I believe when all is said and done this film will be remembered as a turning point in the history of comic book movies. 

Now that Marvel has become more lighthearted and taken some of the seriousness out of comic book movies it’s good to see more serious and experimental comic book movie succeed. And it really has succeeded by nearing $500 million at the box office worldwide and earning an 8.4 on IMDB. 

If there is any take away from this review it’s this: watch “The Batman.”