*Spoiler Warning*

This movie ruled so much, I left the theater in complete awe. “The Batman” delivered an instant classic with brilliant cinematography, superb choreography and a pleasant acting surprise from Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

I didn’t have a lot of background knowledge going into this movie, I knew it existed and even stayed away from watching the trailer. In retrospect, I am so glad I did because it made every bit of the movie unknown to me and was an amazing experience.

Everybody in this movie was casted perfectly, many familiar faces like Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle and some unfamiliar — to me at least — like Paul Dano as the Riddler. The chemistry between the actors would make you feel the actors knew each other since childhood.

The movie starts with the Riddler stalking the mayor of Gotham City, with him killing him later the same night. The following monologue from Pattinson is exactly what I’d expect from Batman, discussing how he strikes fear in criminals’ hearts without even being there.

This is also where we see the new generation Batman, and man, was this scene so rewarding. The new suit is beautiful, and watching as the darker side of Batman is shown when he brutally pummels the first criminal of the movie was chef’s kiss.

Batman works alongside James Gordon — portrayed by Jeffrey Wright — throughout the movie and you see their relationship and trust grow in each new scene they share. The good cop bad cop dynamic — or “batshit cop” as the Penguin put it — was very satisfying to watch.

Speaking of the Penguin, the investigation led Batman to the nightclub he operates, which is where he meets Kyle. He would follow her home, which is when he learns of her presence as a cat burglar named Catwoman — albeit the name doesn’t get dropped in the movie — and their partnership begins.

Back at the nightclub, using a camera through contact lenses, Kyle begins searching for answers for both her and Batman. After learning of Kyle’s relationship with Carmine Falcone, Batman presses for answers which leads Kyle to cut off communication.

The next day at the mayor’s funeral, Wayne makes an appearance but the funeral gets interrupted by another scheme from the Riddler. Wayne saves the mayor’s son, who shares something with Wayne and their moments together are a nice touch, showing Wayne knows his pain.

After a run-in with a drug deal run by the Penguin and Falcone, we get an epic car chase scene with the Penguin and Batman — the new Batmobile is so sick, I love it. The cinematography in this sequence was excellent, between the fire and making Batman look much more menacing.

Wayne learns the truth about his father through the Riddler, and begins to question his own morals until a touching conversation with Alfred. It’s always nice to see a father-son relationship between Wayne and Alfred — never gets old. 

Batman goes back to Falcone to bring him to justice, but upon going outside Falcone is killed by the Riddler. The Riddler is then tracked down and revealed to be Edward Nashton, a fellow orphan who belonged to an orphanage funded by the Wayne family.

While the Riddler is locked away, his plan of destroying the breakwaters around Gotham comes true with his followers simultaneously invading new mayor Bella Reál’s acceptance. Batman, Catwoman and Gordon do stop the assasination but the damage has been done.

Batman takes a vow afterward to become a new beacon of hope for Gotham, which is showcased wonderfully as he leads survivors of the flooding with a flare. No longer redeeming vengeance, Batman now is an inspiration for Gotham.

This movie was spectacular, I was never bored even with it being about three hours — really the only reason it didn’t get 5/5 stars. It’s hard to put into words how good this movie was, all I can say is I HIGHLY recommend you watch it.

Review: 4.9/5 stars