By DALTON GRIJALVA
Pattinson? More like BATTINSON.
Many actors have taken up the mantle of Batman. From Michael Keatons redefining of the character all the way to Ben Affleck’s homicidal maniac, the character has had everything from shark repellent to the infamous bat nipples. So what exactly could Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson bring to a character so ingrained into pop culture that he could probably be considered the most popular superhero in the world?
This weekend, an event held by DC called “DC Fandom” gave us the first look at “The Batman” in the form of a teaser trailer. This new take on the dark knight will follow a murder mystery plot involving the riddler. The tone is dark. “Something in the Way” by Nirvana sets the mood perfectly alongside The Riddler’s narration. In the first scene, a man – presumed to be the riddler – wraps a victim of his in duct tape before writing “no more lies” on his covered face.
As the teaser goes on, we get our first look at commissioner Gordon (Jeffery Wright) investigating a crime scene. Perhaps the best shot of the whole teaser is when the camera pans up and we get our first proper look at Pattinson suited up. The suit has a very tactical look even more so than Christian Bale’s. We also get a look at Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman.
This Batman will be brutal. In the middle of the teaser, Batman comes across face painted clowns which definitely give strong joker vibes. One of the gang members asks “What the hell are you supposed to be?” Cut to Batman grabbing his arm, punching him, back handing him and basically rearranging his entire face for twenty seconds.
He then proclaims “I’m Vengeance,” which is part of a famous quote from Batman the animated series (“ I am vengeance. I am the Night. I am Batman!”). I’m not sure if we’ll get the full line in the movie but after hearing a third of it in the teaser, we just might.
The trailer closes with Pattinson unmasking himself, showing the guy liner underneath his cowl, which is actually pretty funny because all the live action adaptations don’t show this. It was always magically gone whenever they’d unmask.
Robert Pattinson gets a bad wrap due to his involvement in Twilight and quite a few other sappy romance movies. Pattinson is actually quite a phenomenal actor when given a proper script. His performance in 2019’s “The Lighthouse” makes me believe that he might be the best live action adaptation of all of the Batmen.
I am still cautiously optimistic, as there could be quite a few issues that may hold this movie and, subsequently, Batman back. The number one thing is an origin story. Pattinson’s Batman seems to have been on the streets for a little bit. With that may come yet another retelling of the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. We have had multiple films show this, we do not need another one.
My second main concern is that of the thug Batman beats up. He seems to be wearing clown makeup, and looks a lot like a Joker henchman. I love the Joker but he has been played to death in Batman stories. Let other contenders from Batman’s rogues have the spotlight.
“The Batman” is scheduled to hit theatres in October 2021, and this teaser has me pumped. It’s just a shame we have to wait so long.