The Batman (film)

The Batman is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay he wrote with Peter Craig, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise. Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. The film sees Batman, in his second year fighting crime in Gotham City, uncover corruption with ties to his own family while pursuing the Riddler (Dano), a mysterious serial killer targeting the city's elite. Reeves and Dylan Clark produced the film for DC Films and Warner Bros. Pictures.

A Batman film for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) franchise was announced in October 2014, with Ben Affleck starring as the character. He signed on to also direct, produce, and co-write The Batman by 2016, but had reservations about the project and stepped down in January 2017. Reeves took over the following month and reworked the story, removing the DCEU connections to focus on a younger version of the character earlier in his vigilante career compared to Affleck's portrayal. Reeves worked on the script with Craig and Mattson Tomlin, and sought to explore Batman's detective aspects more than previous films, drawing inspiration from the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the New Hollywood era, and comics such as "Year One" (1987), The Long Halloween (1996–97), and Ego (2000).

Following Affleck's departure as the star in January 2019, Pattinson was cast in May, and additional actors joined later that year. Filming took place from January 2020 to March 2021 and was halted for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The production occurred throughout the United Kingdom, including on location in England and Scotland, as well as at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Cinematographer Greig Fraser shot the film with Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology, while Michael Giacchino composed the musical score. The film has over 1,500 visual effects shots and is one of the longest superhero films ever made.

After facing multiple delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Batman was theatrically released in the United States on March 4, 2022, three days after premiering at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Reeves's approach, the performances of Pattinson and Kravitz, and the cinematography and score, although the tone, runtime, and third act received some criticism. It was a commercial success, grossing over $772 million worldwide against a $185–200 million budget, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2022 and Warner Bros.'s highest-grossing pandemic release. Its financial performance set several pandemic-era box office records, particularly for IMAX screenings. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and received numerous other accolades. The Batman is intended to start a trilogy and the "Batman Epic Crime Saga" franchise. A sequel, The Batman: Part II, is scheduled for release on October 1, 2027, while a spin-off television series starring Farrell, The Penguin, debuted on HBO in late 2024.

Plot

On Halloween, Gotham City mayor Don Mitchell Jr. is murdered by a masked serial killer, the Riddler. Reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated for two years as the vigilante Batman, investigates the murder alongside Lieutenant Jim Gordon, much to the disdain of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD); the Riddler leaves a message for Batman at the crime scene. The following night, the Riddler kills the police commissioner, Pete Savage, and leaves another message for Batman. Batman and Gordon discover that the Riddler left a thumb drive in Mitchell's car containing images of Mitchell's affair with a woman, Annika Kosolov, at the Iceberg Lounge—a nightclub operated by the Penguin, crime boss Carmine Falcone's lieutenant. While questioning the Penguin, who pleads ignorance, Batman notices that Annika's roommate, Selina Kyle, works at the club as a waitress. Annika disappears; while searching for answers, Batman and Selina discover that Savage and Mitchell were on Falcone's payroll, as is district attorney Gil Colson.

The Riddler abducts Colson, straps a timed collar bomb to his neck, and sends him to interrupt Mitchell's funeral. When Batman arrives, the Riddler calls him via a phone duct-taped to Colson and threatens to detonate the bomb if Colson cannot answer three riddles. Colson refuses to answer the third—the name of the informant who gave the GCPD information that led to a historic drug bust ending mob boss Salvatore Maroni's operation—and is killed. Batman and Gordon deduce that the informant may be the Penguin and track him to a drug deal. They discover that Maroni's operation was transferred to Falcone, with many corrupt officers involved. Selina inadvertently exposes them when she arrives to steal money and discovers Annika's corpse in the trunk of a car. Batman captures the Penguin after a car chase, but he and Gordon learn that the Penguin is not the informant.

Batman and Gordon follow the Riddler's trail to the ruins of an orphanage initially funded by Bruce's deceased parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, where they learn that the Riddler holds a grudge against the Wayne family for failing the orphanage. Bruce's butler and caretaker, Alfred Pennyworth, is hospitalized after opening a letter bomb addressed to Bruce. The Riddler leaks evidence that Thomas, who was running for mayor before he was murdered, hired Falcone to kill a journalist whom Maroni controlled and was writing a story about Martha's family history of mental illness. Bruce confronts Alfred, who maintains that Thomas only asked Falcone to threaten the journalist into silence; upon learning that Falcone had murdered the journalist, Thomas planned to turn both himself and Falcone over to the police. Alfred believes that Falcone had Thomas and Martha killed to silence them.

Selina reveals to Batman that Falcone is her father. After discovering that Falcone killed Annika because she learned he was the informant, Selina attempts to kill him, but Batman and Gordon arrive in time to stop her. Gordon arrests Falcone, but the Riddler kills Falcone with a sniper rifle moments later. The Riddler gives himself up and is unmasked as forensic accountant Edward Nashton; he is incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he tells Batman he took inspiration from him when targeting the corrupt. Batman learns that Nashton has planted car bombs and cultivated an online following that plans to assassinate Mayor-elect Bella Reál. The bombs destroy the seawall around Gotham and flood the city. Nashton's followers attempt to kill Reál at her victory celebration in an arena, but Batman and Selina stop them. Batman saves the crowds in the flooding arena from electrocution and leads them to safety. In the aftermath, Nashton befriends another inmate, while Selina deems Gotham beyond saving and leaves. Batman continues to aid the city's recovery efforts and vows to inspire hope in Gotham rather than exacting vengeance.