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The opening hour and a half of 鈥淭he Batman鈥� is as gripping and visceral as anything the comic book genre has ever produced.听

Director and co-writer Matt Reeves鈥� smart and ambitious work on both 鈥淒awn of the Planet of the Apes鈥� and 鈥淲ar for the Planet of the Apes鈥� has been leading to a blockbuster of this size and scale, and he uses all of his filmmaking arsenal to bring Gotham City to life in a dark, gritty, and authentic manner.听

This time around,听the titular character鈥檚 cape and cowl belong to Robert Pattinson (鈥淭wilight,鈥� 鈥淭enet鈥�). He opts for a broody but determined incarnation of Bruce Wayne, who has just begun his second year as the masked vigilante.

Alongside his trusted butler Alfred (Andy Serkis), police lieutenant ally James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and new friend Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Catwoman (Zo毛 Kravitz), Wayne tries to catch the elusive and sadistic Riddler (Paul Dano), who is targeting the elite of Gotham.听

To find him, Batman must uncover the vast web of corruption that has long infiltrated the city. Along the way, Wayne goes toe-to-toe with crime lord Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and mobster Penguin (Colin Farrell), while also discovering details about his own family鈥檚 past that were meant to be kept hidden.

鈥淭he Batman鈥� also explores themes of justice, legacy, and the impact of wealth inequality in a thought-provoking manner. Since he鈥檚 still in the early throes of fighting crime, Pattinson鈥檚 Batman starts off with little conflict over his vigilantism. But as the film progresses, his impact on Gotham becomes more and more questionable.

There are an awful听lot听of characters for Reeves and his co-writer Peter Craig to keep control of. For the most part, the pair handles this challenge well, wisely deciding that the film requires a vastly different pace from its superhero peers.听

Rather than starting off with an action scene to immediately satisfy viewers, Reeves slowly lulls them into the story, as he knows that, if he moves along too quickly, the film鈥檚 176-minute-long running time will quickly become too laborious.听

The result of the film鈥檚 patient approach 鈥� with its moody visuals and preference for atmosphere and suspense over too much action or violence 鈥� is that it plays more like a psychological thriller than a Marvel movie.听The longer 鈥淭he Batman鈥� goes on, the more unsettling it becomes, as Wayne has to overcome a depraved world of greedy, ruthless, and vindictive characters.听

But while its DC Comics听mega-hit predecessor 鈥淛oker鈥� felt like an underwhelming rip-off of the Martin Scorsese films it was blatantly inspired by, 鈥淭he Batman鈥� is so immersive and entertaining that it always feels like its own unique movie. Once the film gets going, there are plenty of enthralling sequences, including a car chase that feels straight out of the 鈥淔ast and the Furious鈥� franchise.

What makes 鈥淭he Batman鈥� even more impressive is that every scene crackles with artistic flair. Despite the constant downpour and imposing skyscrapers making you feel trapped, Reeves and cinematographer Greig Fraser (鈥淒une鈥�) still manage to find beauty in the urban decay and create iconic shots amidst the chaos. All of that is enhanced by a sensational score from Michael Giacchino, which brings a necessary rhythm to the story, as well as a general sense of foreboding.

Warner Bros. Pictures/AP

Robert Pattinson plays both Batman and his alter ego, the affluent Bruce Wayne, in the latest film, which explores themes of justice, legacy, and the impact of wealth inequality.

Yet just about the time 鈥淭he Batman鈥� feels as though it has secured its spot as the definitive masterpiece of the superhero genre, it loses control of its characters. It鈥檚 not enough to completely derail the film. But it goes around in circles trying to explain unnecessary plot points and backstory. At this point, even its fight sequences falter, becoming so poorly lit and incomprehensible that they border on parody.

Reeves鈥� smart and shrewd storytelling puts the film back on course, though, while its chilling and audacious final set piece ensures it ends on a high note. Although it does disappointingly go over the top on occasion, there鈥檚 just too much depth and style to 鈥淭he Batman鈥� for it to be anything other than a success.听

What鈥檚 even more exciting is that Reeves鈥� assured and dynamic handling of the character and material 鈥� as well as a string of fine performances 鈥� suggests this is only the beginning.

鈥淭he Batman鈥� is available in theaters and is expected to stream on HBO Max later in the year. The film is rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.听