4. The Batman
OK, let’s shift gears significantly from The Lego Batman Movie and talk about 2022’s The Batman
At its core, The Batman is a detective movie. That’s good news, considering Batman is meant to be the “World’s Greatest Detective.” After the Riddler (an insidious Paul Dano) murders the mayor on Halloween, Batman (moody Robert Pattinson) investigates the crime with police Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). In downcast glances and trails of blood, Batman handles bombs and the mounting air of desolation that falls on Gotham. But, even in the pall, he finds hope.
Batman’s emotional journey here is captivating, and the villainy he’s up against is remarkably believable for a superhero caper. It’s easy to feel The Batman’s tension floating into your body. And The Batman is original. There are hardly any other Batman movies as devoted to noir as this one.
