‘The Batman’: Matt Reeves’ new take continues gritty, dark themes

The Batman stands in the rain as red light from a vehicle shines on.

The latest adaptation is long, but its cinematography, score and acting will make it one of the year’s best pictures

At long last, the Dark Knight is back.

Director Matt Reeves’ iteration of the caped crusader has been one of the most anticipated movies in years, suffering rounds of delays due to the pandemic. The trailers promised an artistic, gritty interpretation of Batman — I’m pleased to report it delivers on those promises.

“The Batman” is an exhilarating mob thriller and one of this year’s best superhero movies. Although, as a Batman movie, it’s not much different from director Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” In my rankings, this latest film equals “The Dark Knight” for the best Batman movie ever.

I am not alone in my assessment, evident by the 92.67% averaged Rotten Tomatoes audience score of the three previous standalone Batman films. I wanted to see more of the Batman I knew and loved, and that’s exactly what this movie delivers: A continuation of Nolan’s dark, anti-corruption political themes, albeit in a new world with new characters. For that, Reeves deserves praise.

In addition to delivering on fans’ expectations, the movie is incredibly well made in terms of cinematography, score and acting. The eye-popping visuals by cinematographer Greg Fraiser — who worked on “Dune” — capture fiery colors and flashes of light to contrast against the movie’s film-noir vibe. The juxtaposition of these scenes allows Fraiser to highlight important moments while the rest of the movie’s opaque darkness increases the tension between characters.

Moreover, though the 3-hour run-time sometimes feels too long, composer Michael Giacchino’s score pulls the viewer back in. The dramatic composition helps Reeves convey emotions of mystery and mourning, which would otherwise be harder to discern due to the movie’s ambiguity.

And lastly, the actors. Robert Pattinson nails the film’s emo Bruce Wayne, as if the role was made for him. John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Colin Farrell as the Penguin — props to the incredible makeup team — are the movie’s most memorable villains. However, the best actor of the movie is Zoë Kravitz, who dazzles as Selina Kyle, more commonly known as Catwoman. Kravitz convincingly portrays a complicated, fierce woman plagued by family conflict, complementing Pattison’s Batman well.

In the end, it’s not hard to discern whether or not this movie is for you. If you liked the previous Batman movies, you’ll most likely enjoy this one too. If you didn’t, you won’t care for this continuation either. After all, this new iteration reminds and reinforces current fans of all the reasons why they love Batman.

Batman is back, but Batman is largely the same. Should you fix something that isn’t broken?

“The Batman” says no.