The Batman Movie Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Ups...

8. It's The Darkest, Boldest Batman Movie Yet

Once upon a time the Christopher Nolan Batman films were thought of as almost inconceivably dark and gritty, and for their era they certainly were, but Reeves' film categorically outdoes any of Nolan's where grim bleakness is concerned.

Though there are faint flecks of hope to be found on occasion, this is unquestionably the most pervasively dark, depressing Batman movie to date.

The Riddler's (Paul Dano) various murders are very clearly inspired by the Zodiac Killer and to that end feel ripped straight out of a horror film, while Gotham is a festering crap-bag of a city, and for much of the story there's an intense distrust of both social institutions and even superheroes themselves.

Across its expansive runtime, that darkness runs deep enough that it's easy to imagine more casual-minded viewers simply finding it too relentless, even with some well-placed moments of levity and catharsis.

It absolutely won't be for everyone, but for those craving some tonally adventurous, deep-dish superhero storytelling, this may well go down a treat.