AUSTIN FOLKERTSMA
campus editor
austin.folkertsma@my.tccd.edu

Every actor or actress has that one defining role. 

When one thinks about Leonardo DiCaprio, the majority would say Jack Dawson from “Titanic,” or for Hayden Christensen, most would say Anakin Skywalker, and for Robert Pattinson, they would say Edward Cullen from the “Twilight” series.

Skepticism shrouded my thoughts, leading me to think “The Batman” was going to be a not-so-great movie because of Pattinson, but I was immensely mistaken. 

From the opening scenes to the closing scenes, I was on the edge of my seat with so much excitement.

Michael Keaton’s version of Batman is, and always will be my favorite, but saying Pattinson’s Batman is pretty high up there isn’t so far-fetched. 

If he doesn’t at least get nominated for some type of award for this performance, some hands will be thrown with someone. 

Inspired by many comics throughout the history of Batman, director Matt Reeves gave us a near-perfect mystery/thriller and was able to encompass that in a three-hour film.

Reeves took inspiration from comics such as The Long Halloween, Year One, Zero Year, Dark Victory and Ego. 

He did a stupendous job portraying Batman’s psychotic side as the detective tries to solve several murders in Gotham caused by The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. Dano’s chilling portrayal of the famous villain is inspired by the serial killer known as the Zodiac Killer, grounding him to reality in a haunting way.

Studying the Zodiac Killer in a high school forensics science class is the reason why I am so fond of puzzles and figuring things out.

The film also uncovers a much deeper underlying mystery the Wayne family has been hiding for decades.

Pattinson’s portrayal of Batman is also unique because he doesn’t play the typical playboy, rich, white guy that sits in his tower all day throwing parties every night because he can. Instead, he plays a rather reclusive guy still grieving the death of his parents and possibly could be suffering from some sort of mental illness because of it. He doesn’t want anything to do with the Wayne family fortune at all, but rather, this Batman shows the more vigilante side of him from the comics.

It’s sometimes best to not believe the hype until you’ve seen it for yourself, but the hype is real with this one.

The simplicity of the music was unmatched. It’s one of those movies that managed to make the entire film feel as though the viewer is watching a live orchestra. 

However, a word of warning, if a viewer plans to see this movie and is sensitive to flashing lights, proceed with caution. But overall, it’s a fantastic movie, and the ending made it seem like another trilogy is afoot. A single moment can’t be missed so grab some popcorn, take care of other business and sit back and enjoy the show. 

4 ¼ stars