By: Frances Philippe-Auguste

Spoiler Warning

On March 4 2022 yet another Batman movie was released, this time with a new actor, Robert Pattinson. With the new Batman movie, it might be fun to go back in time to take a look at previous Batman releases.

All the way back in 1939 a man named Bob Kane was approached to create a new super for Detective comics. Because of the success of Superman, which released its first issue in 1938,  DC Comics wanted to continue creating new heroes. Bob Kane, with the help of his friend Bill Finger, created the Caped Crusader. 

Batman first hit the screens in the early 1940s. The two Batman television series from the 40s were not very popular or successful. But with failure comes success. In 1966 one of the most famous Batman shows was released.

Batman, the television series in color, was a great action-packed show that is very iconic with most of our parents. With the amazing Adam West as Batman and Bart Ward as Robin, this show was the best way to see Batman and Robin on screen. 

It was because of the success of the Batman television series that launched other Batman shows. In 1968 the first animated Batman show graced people’s televisions sets. This set the path for many other Batman movies and cartoons.     

The Batman, 2022 is the first Batman movie we have gotten since 2012. And in all honesty, it might be one of the best Batman movies we have ever gotten. There is so much about this movie that will make fans and non-DC fans love this movie.

There are many ways to describe this movie. A non-DC fan might see this movie as a great dark movie with great cinematography. People can appreciate that this movie was a good kind of dark that was just the right fit for this movie.  

Robert Pattinson as Batman is something I think most people have been wanting for a very long time. Pattinson can best be compared to the animated and comic book Batman that I believe most of us think about from our childhood. 

Starting in about 2014, DC started releasing a modern animated movie series, Apokolips War, that were all tied together. Batman had a few movies and it is safe to say that Pattinson’s Batman is very similar to the mannerisms of Batman from those movies. 

Batman in the animated movies was a very serious no-nonsense type of person who is a very skilled fighter who doesn’t use guns. He sticks to his oath of not ever crossing the line and every once in a while he will remind you that he is truly only human. 

Robert Pattinson does an amazing job at portraying Batman in this way. We can see by the amazing fight senses that he is an amazing fighter. We also get to see his detective skills as he has to solve all of The Riddler’s riddles and tricks. Batman’s emotional side comes into play as we see his interactions with Alfred and Selina, played by Andy Serkis and Zoë Kravitz.   

There is no perfect way to describe this movie but DC fans can definitely see similarities from other DC media. One of the best ways to describe the movie itself is to compare it to the television show, Gotham. 

Gotham was about a young Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. It was a dark show that showed us many of the Batman villains that we all love. Now, saying that the new Batman movies are just like Gotham does not give the movie justice. The Batman is like if Gotham was ten times better than it actually was. 

It would be a crime to talk about this movie without talking about the Batman costume. The Batman costume in previous movies has not been that great. From the super basic look of Adam West to the super bulky not quite right look of Ben Affleck Batman suits have never been quite right. 

That was changed in this movie. The suit was not super bulky where it made him seem weirdly out of place with the other characters. His suit was well-fitted and the mask looked just right. The suit was pleasing to look at and was just the most comically accurate suit that we have seen in any of the movies. 

The movie had so many points that would make DC fans just giddy with excitement. It leaves us wondering about what they might address in a possible second movie. Do we get to know what the joker might have planned? Will we get to see which Robin will grace our new Batman? These are all things that will have to look forward to in the future. 

To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.