The recently released Batman movie directed by Matt Reeves has students at A&T students speaking about their reactions to the nearly 3-hour long film.
Starring global superstar Robert Pattinson, best known for his role in the “Twilight” movies, and Zoe Kravitz, the new Batman film has die-hard fans and regular movie-watchers abuzz with their reactions to the movie.
“The Batman” was released on March 4th and gave watchers a new aspect of who Bruce Wayne’s character was. Set during the second year of Batman’s emergence as a vigilante in Gotham City, the new film showcases the emotional and raw side of Wayne’s character.
In previous Batman movies, the audience has seen Bruce Wayne portrayed as a billionaire playboy or a sociable business tycoon; however, in this film, he is portrayed as a business-savvy character contrary to the heavily guarded recluse he has taken on before.
“Going into the film, I felt like the movie would be really good, especially seeing Batman and Catwoman together,” Jaiden Logan said, a sophomore business management and entrepreneurship student. “I actually did not fall asleep because the movie was really interesting to me, but I wish we could’ve seen more of Catwoman and possibly more scenes of her fighting with Batman.”
Rarely seen in public, he is shown to be in a state of constant emotional despair and solitude that only furthers his image as a broken, dark and brooding character.
“I loved it,” Gabrielle Cicéron said, a sophomore architectural engineering student. “This movie has made me a bigger Batman fan because he is not like the other superheroes. He is dark, he is not afraid to get his hand dirty, he is unexpected, he is badass; this movie and Robert displayed that perfectly.”
Pattinson gives a convincing performance of a dark and grisly-like Batman. He shows the cynical and gritty aspects that give this movie a melancholic feel when watching.
The raging duality of each persona that Pattinson portrays, whether Bruce Wayne or Batman, showcases his immense skill as an actor and his dedication to honoring the notorious character.
“Robert was a good Batman. He definitely portrayed a newer Bruce in how he was going about being Batman,” junior nursing student Rose Jackson said. “He was clearly an obsessed Bruce, wanting to make some kind of change in Gotham, and had been at it for two years, clearly with no breaks. He was kind [of] dirty looking, but I liked it.”
One quality that is heavily portrayed and emphasized within the film is Batman’s skills as a detective. At the core of it, Batman is known to be the “World’s Greatest Detective” within the DC Universe, and throughout the story, you can see why he has gained the title.
“It was super cool and brings back the detective side of Batman solving mysteries and riddles in this movie,” Terrence senior kinesiology student Terrence Brown said when asked about his reaction to the new film.
The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is the main villain in the movie.
“One character that stood out to me was Paul Dano’s performance, who played the Riddler. Every scene he was in I was captivated by his character’s intelligence, uneasiness and unpredictability,” Cicéron said.
In the movie, we see some familiar faces within the cast, from Jeffrey Wright, who plays detective James Gordon to John Turturro, who plays mob boss Carmine Falcone.
Kravitz also does a clever portrayal of Gotham’s very own cat burglar Selina Kyle.
“I loved Zoë’s Catwoman. Her attitude reminded me of Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman. Just how she went about the whole ordeal,” Jackson said. “I also liked that Catwoman wasn’t over-sexualized.”
As reactions to the new Batman film continue to roll in, students and regular fans will be sure to be in for a ride while watching the movie.
“If you haven’t seen this movie, go in with an open mind and don’t try to compare it to Christian Bale or any other Batman films,” Brown said. “I promise it will not disappoint.”
