The Netflix Blockbuster Crime Thriller That Defied Expectations

The Batman was written and directed by War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves, and stars Robert Pattinson alongside Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Paul Dano, and a nearly unrecognizable Colin Farrell. Much like Christian Bale’s widely-lauded Dark Knight trilogy, The Batman focuses on a dark and realistic depiction of the comic book hero.

It opts for grim scenes of graphic violence in place of ‘Bang’ and ‘Pow’ punch effects popularized in the mid-twentieth century. The film serves as a reboot of the Batman franchise, and sits alongside Todd Phillips’ Joker as entries into the DC Elseworlds franchise.

DC Elseworlds accounts for films that aren’t part of the overall canon of James Gunn‘s newly configured reboot of the DC cinematic universe. Under Gunn’s creative direction, Warner Discovery has continued to produce films such as these, as well as a host of animated outings for popular DC comics characters, which explore stories and ideas not found in Gunn’s upcoming roadmap. As part of the newly established universe kicked off by The Batman, a sequel film and a Max original series based on Colin Farrell’s Penguin are currently in the works.

In The Batman, Bruce Wayne works closely with Lieutenant James Gordon to track down a cryptic serial killer known only as the Riddler. The Riddler seems to be pulling the police along a wild goose chase as he systemically wipes out both gang violence and corrupt police and politicians within the city. As the world’s greatest detective, Batman seems to be the only crime fighter who can decipher many of Riddler’s esoteric messages, much to the chagrin of many police entities who take issue with the caped crusader’s masked vigilantism.

As the police, as well as Batman, continue to follow the thread of crimes in the city, they uncover a massive web of corruption and organized crime that threatens to tear down the fabric of Gotham as they know it. As the film builds to a stunning climax, Batman encounters a number of classic comic book characters reimagined in a realistic modern context, including the Penguin, Catwoman, and a character who may or may not turn out to be the Joker. The film received near-universal praise from critics and audiences alike, resulting in a certified fresh critical score of 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes finally having come to a close, production recently picked back up on the upcoming companion series The Penguin. Fans of Batman should be sure to catch the Robert Pattinson-led film, which contains the greatest batmobile chase ever committed to the big screen. The Batman is available to stream on Netflix today.