Musings on The Batman Trailer

The year of our Lord 2020, ravaged by a pandemic the world and its industries have had to adjust and the first DC FanDome (August 22nd) has so far ran away with the zeitgeist and interest of everyone vested in modern media and its many mediums. Looking at the state of the DC Film slate and its diegetic universe still leaves me with a headache to say the least, more convoluted and baffling than the X-Men timeline I was surprised to say I had my own interests peaked at the surprise reveal of a lot of content surrounding next years (as it stands) The Batman. The following is essentially some of my own ramblings on what little we’ve seen of the film and will be based off my readings of the trailer, some articles and breakdowns etc. That I’ve consumed. Now upfront I’m not a massive fan of these ‘service events’ as a consumer and with that in mind you’re welcomed to read my ramblings on the trailer for The Batman hopefully presented in some kind of flowing fashion.

Alternate Poster for The Batman

So first off the bat I need to acknowledge that I am by no means a Comics related encyclopaedia but have - on good authority - that the film draws vastly upon the Batman Ego comic and is a Year Two story. From delving into those and learning the fundamentals, one could bet on some kind of character study and pseudo origins story as Pattinson’s Batman grows into the mantle as the City of Gotham eases into his presence. Looking further afield than the conventional comics/film iterations and from what idea we have on the plot, it reminded me somewhat of the TellTale Games renditions, specifically given the whole corruption plotline and so on, as well as some superficial elements such as the characters, though their relationships are likely to not be that similar here. Certain advantages come with the video game platform and that game was a decent simulator for life as Bruce Wayne/The Batman and made for a largely compelling episodic narrative. Elsewhere the suit struck me as somewhat similar to the Arkham Knight rendition via Rocksteady. Comparatively, the two have this distinct and ‘modern’ (if you will) - look to them. In my opinion that game was another interesting slice of life as the Batman, not flawless, I’d say it’s a majority consensus that a lot of the player base have a few gripes with the ‘Bat-Tank’ gameplay features but when concerning the suits, this design feels a million miles away from the Pre-Nolan versions and still opposite end of the spectrum to the suit from that ‘seminal’ trilogy. Prior to 2005 I find that ‘Camp’ is a term which best describes the suits: from bat nipples to elongated ears, this is comparatively a lot more sleek And my main, lasting takeaway from the reveal. Touching briefly on the Nolan and Snyder suits, the former feels more ‘made for film’, as if it had the intentions of becoming an icon of film and a memorable aspect over something more practical. As a character, given he’s essentially the average Joe who’s just financially backed, the suit is effectively the power so one can understand the hype around proceedings. Generally speaking the Ozymandias character from Watchmen nails down this ’look’ if you want to call it that but Pattinson’s suit is worlds away from the Affleck/Snyder version. With the Iron Man character being the test for suited characters over the past couple of decades, even at it’s clunkiest, that character looks more refined than what Snyder created. As a director I’m not sold on Snyder but I don’t want to use this as just a chance to dunk on the director but my lord the ‘Acid Washed Car Tyre’ is an atrocity to the character, it almost appears Lego-like with its obtuse angles. Steering away from the Good Will Hunting Star/Co-Writer/Kevin Smith Alumni Ben Affleck to the new Pattinson version I’m all but fully aboard the Hype train right now. I’ll cover it in more depth later but the aesthetic fits the overall tone and the imposing nature of the suit seems to fit the whole “Is he good or bad?”/“Can we trust him?” line of thinking Posed by the creatives as they’ve discussed the film.

Pattinson in Full Get-Up

The internet community has record breaking speed and here it was once more demonstrated when the sleuths and memers linked up to hastily draw comparisons between The Batman trailer and the works of David Fincher, namely Se7en. Now whether or not theres any validity to these claims and comparisons is something that will be answered in a year or so’s time when the film is available for consumption In full and not just snippets here and there, but ultimately - is there much of an issue with this? Honestly, No. If it fails to walk the line and falls into what’s just a cheap rip off then fair enough one can use it as a stick to beat the film with, but until then I’m hesitant to compare. Fincher’s gained a hefty amount of personal directorial credit off the back of his thrillers and for good reason. Though Zodiac and Se7en suffer with pacing issues and are slightly bogged down by the heavy and consistent feature of family drama, the actual mystery and thriller elements are all but flawless and it’s clearly a knack that Fincher has owned for some time, further evidenced by his work on the sadly short lived Mindhunter. Whatever side of the fence you fall upon is ultimately a little irrelevant, the positive to take from all this is the sudden focus on a detective type narrative - a characteristic synonymous with Batman, ‘The World’s Greatest Detective’, Offering a different take on the the character that’s not been seen that much in live action. That said though, I wouldn’t hold my breath expecting a full on detective tale, it’s likely to be a stepping stone to introduce the villains into the narrative so a detective thriller would be a little from left field. For as memed as it is, channelling the spirit of Fincher isn’t a bad thing by any means.

Announced incidentally over the past few months has been the HBO Max series: Gotham PD. Perhaps not the greatest of times to be crafting a ‘not all bad apples’ police show, but it seems to tackle the themes of corruption citywide and flesh out the universe. From my research it appears to be exclusive to that platform who are on good terms with DC, snagging the domestic rights to Snyder’s cut of the Justice League ‘mini-series’. As for now, little is known in any great sense, a similar case to the film, however one can speculate. Hours after the closure of the FanDome event, Barry Keoghan was added to the cast as an ally officer of Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon, with that casting, one could ponder if Keoghan, Wright and maybe Bat-Patts himself could make an appearance though really nobody knows as the term ‘prequel’ is quite a nebulous tag and could open the floor to any number of opportunities. If these stars were to crop up on the screens of HBO customers, it would certainly be a good business tool as it gives more of a direct link/bridge to the film which’ll no doubt be a smash hit but again, it remains to be seen. With Reeves developing it and it rumoured time be a ‘Year One’ story, it isn’t far out of the reach of imagination to suggest connections though in a wider context we still have a bit of choice when it comes to streaming platforms so so it might just be a service to the narrative opposed to the overlords stuffing required viewing down our throats. Being touted as a one and done type prequel series it could open the door for an interesting discussion if not a glimpse of the future of filmmaking, fleshing out the story across a number of media platforms and mediums all in synergy of making the perfect Batman tale.

Briefly one has to cover possible wider connections. Though the gossip has been somewhat quenched by the apparent confirmation it is set in its own universe, there is possibility for a link to the Joker film and Though it would sour the tone in my eyes, there is a chance that Phillips’ award winning film gets a follow up with the man in a bat suit.

The Director excites me greatly, the shadow of J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves has an odd career, particularly as a writer. With penning credits for Under Siege 2 and The Pallbearer these obviously served as a stepping stone that allowed him to progress and then work on Dawn and War in the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy. With those three films being well received across the board, Reeves has a lot of good qualities as a filmmaker and after his dabbling in the sci-fi/action hybrid, The Batman oddly doesn’t feel too big of a leap. The Apes films are interweaved with some really heartfelt narrative strands from the first film to the last and are full of character from back to front, facts that put him in good stead stead for this project, a film that requires a lead who’s practically a neo Jekyll and Hyde, one that needs a good balance on the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman as he faces the common criminal and X number of nemesis figures whilst struggling with identity. If one thing translates from the Aled films, it is fair to say that Reeves can write a compelling rivalry, see Caesar and Koba for evidence. Despite his outlandish early credits, Reeves as a writer has stepped up significantly in recent years and his directing talent is undeniable - from Cloverfield to The Apes films we can expect some memorable visuals with stellar, compelling arcs. Other notable names include Greig Fraser, the man behind the camera on a slew of recent hits in what‘ll be his second Reeves collaboration. With credits not limited to Dune (2020), Vice (2018), Rogue One (2016), Killing them Softly (2012) and most notable perhaps - Zero Dark Thirty (2012). Though these films vary in quality, they do have moments of standout visuals, see for instance the closure of Zero Dark Thirty or the hit sequences in Killing them Softly, Fraser delivers a technically sound, unique set of visuals that set these titles apart as unique and mark them from each other.

Brooding Pattinson with his ‘emo’ eye make-up

Generally the film looks really interesting and standout, and the colour schemes, they really pop. From the red and black that‘s awash the art/vanity cards of the trailers, to the costumes and general look of the world, everything is perfect. The cinematography highlights the impeccable design features and watching the slightly warped footage does craft this incredibly unique atmosphere and almost heightened sense of reality. I suppose another Fincher parallel, especially in comparison to the world of Se7en. Fincher mastered this side of filmmaking and I get a sense of that here, almost as if Batman/the GCPD are fighting time on the way to preventing further murders which is promising, suggesting a high stakes tale. Elsewhere, the environments feel like a metropolis and the glimpses of Bat-tech surely hooked many a viewer hanging on for a full view of those. I’m very much on board with this look of the Batman and it’s world, feeling like another stamp from a good visual director and something to look forward too.

Pattinson in Bruce Wayne ‘Mode’

Collin Farrell as The Penguin

The cast intrigues me, somehow it seems to keep adding numerous stars of high quality and offers them in a different light, almost against type. Keoghan for instance will get a chance as hero, Pattinson continues his arthouse revival this time in a more ‘accepted’ mainstream property. Dano and Farrell as villains will be interesting, going largely against type for what has become the norm for their careers to date, and in the case of the Irish star, it’ll give the chance to see him under heavy prosthesis. Let’s not forget Zoë Kravitz either, the thing that’s most interesting outside of these names in these roles is the fact that the characters are in a unique time of their criminal careers having, by all accounts, only just taken their mantles, something not quite put to screen in any real depth. Off the given evidence I am positive for the project as it stands, I’ve not spoken much on the casting of Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman but with Christian Bale’s blessing and what we can gather from this trailer built from a quarter of the film, it’s promising. Putting my neck on the line in what might become a case of ‘famous last words’, The Batman could well be the mark of an upturn in fortunes for the DC film universe as they search for a new flagship. That’s All from me for now, though do follow the links below for some more takes on the trailer and all we know so far!

Mr Sunday Movies - an entertaining and insightful breakdown: https://youtu.be/lRODH2YVg60

WhatCulture - Comics editor Ewan provides some solid insight : https://youtu.be/aCV7eM76z_4