As THE BATMAN drops on HBO MAX tomorrow, I decided to reflect on my experience with the film so far. Yeah I am a lunatic who has watched in 13 times. Maybe that’s not that crazy but it feels like it. But for me, this is a film that goes far beyond genre-defining and became maybe even life-defining (very pretentious I know) for me. What is the reason for my obsession? First it is just a damn good movie. I love this version of Batman, in his second year, exhausted and steadfast but also having doubts about his impact – while also on the verge of meeting the biggest challenge yet. I also am mesmerized by Robert Pattinson’s performance, how it creates a superhero grounded in the dreams of comic book history yet also retains thoughts of believability and mortality (his “maybe this is all coming to an end” line is one of my favorite in recent films) – things all firmly recognizable from our own world. He is a hero that is both vulnerable and flawed but also infused with an ability to will himself to do anything, be anything – including THE Batman. I like the idea that this Gotham is so corrupt that even his closest allies question WHOSE side THE Batman should be on – and so does he. And of course there is the whole arc of transforming from a vigilante into a hero – from a symbol of fear to a symbol of hope. But yeah mostly, I just really like the damn film.
But what are things that I learned from seeing it so many times? Not just why I liked it but WEIRD things that you may not have seen, noticed or WANTED to notice? Things that I’m still not sure I saw (jkjk) – well here we go:
1. Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” Is Actually Source Music
Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” features prominently during two voice-over narrations in THE BATMAN – at the beginning and end of the film. But at the beginning of the film it is also played within the world of the film – so it is “source” music. And we, the audience, are not just listening to the music on the soundtrack as a means for the filmmaker to provide atmosphere and enhance the understanding of character and action (as most score acts). But ALSO Bruce Wayne is listening to it when he arrives back INSIDE the Batcave. Next time you watch the film, note that the song fades out QUICKLY when Bruce turns a nob DOWN as Alfred arrives.
2. The Riddler already suspects that Bruce Wayne Is The Batman before the Funeral
I documented in a previous post why the third act of THE BATMAN is so important and how it proves that Riddler knew that Bruce Wayne was Batman and how the final plan of flooding Gotham and pushing a crowd into Gotham Square Garden was really a way to assassinate Bruce Wayne/Batman – the only one “that he didn’t get”. But watching it 13 times, I’ve now realized that Riddler already knew Bruce Wayne was The Batman way back before the funeral. That is why he sends the car into the funeral when he does. Think about it, most people are already there, and yet there is still a large crowd outside. The car arrives right after Bruce arrives and the Riddler is there waiting in the rafters. As I also argued I think that Riddler sends the car in to try and test Bruce’s actions in an attack, to “see” if he is The Batman or just some average gen-pop coward. As soon as he sees him save the kid, he knows, Bruce Wayne is The Batman.
3. The ultimate mystery of the film is NOT who is the Informant aka Rata Alada, but rather what will be the Wayne family’s legacy
One thing that the film talks a lot about is the Wayne Family Legacy and specifically: what it is, what it was, and what it will become. Alfred reminds Bruce early on that if he does not attend a meeting with Wayne Industries accountants that the legacy will be in jeopardy. Bruce promptly reminds Alfred that “[The Batman] is his legacy.” Later on Riddler reminds Gotham and Bruce Wayne that the corruption of “Project Renewal” is ACTUALLY the legacy of the Waynes. So Bruce needs to not just avenge the death of his parents, but ultimately what the Waynes can represent to Gotham and what he can represent. If The Batman is truly the legacy of the Waynes then it must be as a symbol of hope and not a symbol of fear, something that Bruce learns over the course of the film.
4. GC1 really likes to show lots of footage that is very VERY graphic and disturbing
I mean have you ever seen so much horribly graphic and disturbing news that also acts as such great exposition?
5. Carmine Falcone tries to kill Selina Kyle in the same way that he killed her mother.
Late in the film when Carmine Falcone is trying to kill Selina Kyle via strangulation, he says that it is “just like her mother.” Now the first few times I saw this film, I thought that this was an admission that he is going to kill Selina just like he killed her mother. But he is not only killing her like he killed her mother BUT he is killing her in the EXACT SAME WAY. Earlier in the film, Selina tells Bruce that her mother was strangled (a quick but important detail) and when Carmine tries to kill Selina, he tries to do so in the same way.
6. What Is With The Keyhole Symbolism?
Still a mystery, but something I noticed… Has anyone else noticed all of the keyhole design and artwork in The Iceberg Lounge and 44 Below’s private rooms, including Carmine Falcone’s residence, as well as the keyhole imagery in the bridge that is just outside of the lounge? Is this to say that the key to the mystery is Carmine? Is this to say that The Batman is unlocking the true criminal power of Gotham by taking Falcone out and opening up Pandora’s Box (something that Selina certainly hints at and the end of the film)?
7. The Batman/Bruce visits the Iceberg Lounge THREE TIMES, each time in each of his different personas
Batman/Bruce visits the Iceberg Lounge three times in the course of the film. And each time he gets inside through a different method and by using a different persona. The first time he visits as The Batman and gets inside through sheer brute force and strength. The second time he comes as Bruce Wayne and asks to see Carmine Falcone so that he can confirm the rumors that Riddler just sent to all of Gotham: that Thomas Wayne had Falcone murder a writer of an expose that revealed Martha Wayne’s mental health challenges. The third time he arrives as “The Drifter” (my personal favorite persona) and just sneaks in behind one of the twins that act as the club doorman/bouncer.
8. The Rescue Scene at the end is slightly speed-ramped
After The Batman lands in the flooded bottom of the Gotham Square Garden arena, he lights a flare and offers his hands to the trapped people below. When Don Jr. (the mayor’s son) finally takes his hand, others follow. And this exodus, if you watch, is ever so slightly sped up or “speed-ramped”. Seriously give it a watch.
9. Alfred references his time working for MI:6 – and also how he trained Bruce in this version of the character.
Early on when Bruce joins Alfred for breakfast, he catches Alfred working on Riddler’s latest cypher. Alfred explains he is just “remembering his time in the circus”. Circus is a nickname or a euphemism for MI6 or the British secret service. So in this version, Alfred, much like the recent “Pennyworth” show and even the character in the TV series GOTHAM, has a background where he was presumably trained in the military and spent time in the world of espionage prior to working for the Waynes. Later on when he is recovering from Riddler’s bomb, he tells Bruce that it was his job to protect Thomas and Martha, meaning he was more than a butler but really a bodyguard (who knows, this Alfred maybe was not even EVER a butler). He also tells Bruce something like, “I could train you, I could teach you how to fight, but I couldn’t be your father”. Meaning he imparted to Bruce many of the skills he learned in MI6 and the military.
10. The Batmobile has the same seats as the 1969 Dodge Charger RT 426 Hemi Special Edition
I love this damn Batmobile. It is one of the damn coolest screen cars in the history of cinema and I love that this Batman has a car that is totally believeable within the realm of something a billionaire genius could create. But there has been some debate as to what the car actually is. The reality is that it is an amalgamation of different cars (and heck a jet engine), but after seeing the film thirteen times, I think it is safe to say that it is a ’69 Charger RT SE 426 Hemi as in this special edition of the vehicle, the seats were similar to the ones used in Bruce’s Batmobile. Check out the comparison. Headrests are the same. I think this is one Batman mystery that is solved!
11. There are a few callbacks – both chilling and historical – during and directly after the scene of Alfred’s attack
Dory, the Wayne’s Housekeeper, echoes The Riddler’s “I’ve Been Trying To Reach You” when she answers Bruce’s call after Alfred is attacked. Yeah you probably noticed this on the first or second time BUT it is worth bearing that it is always so disturbing when Riddler said this just a few scenes ago in the aftermath of the funeral bombing after Batman arrives. While there is no connection ever between Dory and the Riddler, it is a seriously demented callback.
The second callback or shout-out: Matt Reeves has said many times that he is a big fan of the Adam West version of the character, aka the TV Batman that premiered in 1966. And an envelope marked “Fireproof” that arrives with a BOMB feels like a big shout-out to the show. After all, there is no need for Alfred or anyone who is actually opening the bomb (aka Bruce Wayne) to ever need to know that an envelope is FIREPROOF (as that person is presumably about to die). Nor would the police need to know. The envelope would presumably just be discoverable by the police or fire department after the bomb goes off. So the “Fireproof” sign on the envelope feels like a callback (although perhaps a subconscious one by Reeves) to Batman ‘66, and such other audience-specific focused props that inevitably become instantly campy – aka props like “shark repellant”.
12. There are some both intentional and unintentional anime like-shots in THE BATMAN
I love anime, love reading manga, and while watching THE BATMAN I noticed some similarities to that artform. Now a lot of people call Bruce Wayne’s hair in this film EMO. But I don’t. I mean I can’t see a world where Matt Reeves would go out and tell a hairdresser, I want his hair to be “Emo”. It is pure cringe. But it IS a specific look and to me it reminds me a lot of anime-type hair. Whether it is Eren in ATTACK ON TITAN or AKIRA, I saw anime influences in both shot selection and character styling. It is other places as well – like the chase scene which feels very close to racing animes like INITIAL D and also in the general graphic novel like feel of the city of GOTHAM which feels, to me at least, like THE CROW meets AKIRA (especially with all that motorcycle riding). Anyway, this could be just a wild theory and something you only think about after watching the film over a dozen times but I really wanted to throw it out there anyway.
The anime type looks of this Batman:
13. Check Out Robert Pattinson’s performance in the scene with Alfred in The Hospital
For me, this really is probably my favorite moment in Pattinson’s performance, in a film filled with great moments. Notice how Robert modulates the voice of Bruce as he begins, questioning Alfred about the where’s and how’s of his parents deaths – angry, mistrusting. This is ACTUALLY the voice of The Batman. As the scene progresses and Alfred corrects Bruce and explains how he believes his father actually dies, Robert’s voice breaks, into the softer, less guarded voice of Bruce that he has used in the past. It also really helps one remember what an awesome scene this is even though it has been unfortunately memed left and right already. Anyway, it is a truly great moment in a film that is full of truly great moments.
No Scoops Club 