Talented director Matt Reeves, who has signed one of the most important post-9/11 feature films (“Cloverfield”) and demonstrated great visual talent with the last two chapters of the “Planet of the Apes” reboot trilogy, has created a new universe starring the Bat Man, completely detached from previous works for the big screen dedicated to the hero of Gotham City.
Bruce Wayne, who here has the face of Robert Pattinson, has become Batman for a couple of years when a new, terrible threat seems to strike the most powerful figures in his city: the Riddler brings to light unspeakable secrets, which concern both the corruption prevailing in Gotham City and the past of the tormented masked hero. A film that will play many of its cards on the eye games between the characters on stage opens with a subjective with a strong voyeuristic flavor (Batman will see through the eyes of Selina Kyle, for example): it is in the very first bars that “The Batman” manages to surprise with a magnificent representation of the protagonist, deep enough and well played by Pattinson, capable of giving psychological depth to the character and also skilled in detaching himself from the acting of his famous colleagues who have played it in the past (from Michael Keaton to Christian Bale).
High pace and great editing choices
Reeves confirms himself as a technically very well prepared director, effective in managing the editing times in the best possible way that manage to keep the pace and attention of the spectator high for the almost three hours of duration.The screenplay becomes weaker in the second part, also due to of some excessively didactic sequence (especially as the conclusion approaches), but overall the film holds up in its entirety and the result is a sort of engaging neo-noir at the right point. The merits are also to be found in the great adhesion to the spirit of the DC comics, in the strong realism, as well as in the coherence between a dark narration capable of plumbing the abysses of the human soul, accompanied by a perpetually nocturnal staging, which, in addition to remembering the Christopher Nolan trilogy may even make one think of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”.
Good overall work by a cast in which, in addition to the protagonist, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano and Andy Serkis stand out positively. Special mention for an unrecognizable Colin Farrell in the role of the Penguin.
Red Rocket
Among the novelties in the room there is also “Red Rocket”, a new feature film by the talented Sean Baker, director who had stood out with “Tangerines” and “A dream called Florida”. At the center of the plot is an actor and porn producer, who returns to Texas after trying to make a fortune in Hollywood. Back home with his wife and mother-in-law, he seems to have started a new life, but when he meets a much younger girl who works as a cashier in a donut shop, the call of his old job comes back. in most of his previous films, Baker tries to paint the many shadows and the few lights of the American province and he does so, also in this case, with a film that mixes drama and comedy: “Red Rocket” is a bittersweet film, which try to sketch a small group of characters as representative of the United States today.