Reflections
on “The Batman”
Directed
by Matt Reeves
Written
by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig
Starring
Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright et al
First and foremost, this
is a dystopian film noir that features Batman as the audience’s principal
investigator and representative in a world or society with crumbling moral
values and a population bordering on despair.
This society plays as
large a part in the film as any of the characters and allows exploration of the
truly existential background of the Batman universe, as opposed to those more
commercial, heroic and perhaps more caricatured incarnations we have seen
previously.
Here, we are presented
with a society in full urban and moral decay. Settings are dull, dilapidated
and rapidly deteriorating while the characters are often disillusioned, even
morose, and appear to have largely abandoned principle, values and hope to join
the rat race in an attempt to ensure survival.
It is in this atmosphere
of moral abandonment and physical decay that the Batman operates.
Like all of us, Batman is
the product of a combination of his environment, his experience and his
character. His billionaire parents are killed in this essentially lawless
domain and eventually he comes to roam the streets meting out vengeance on
those who would commit violent crime and abuse innocent citizens. Wearing a
mask and a bat outfit, he seeks to strike a frisson of fear and trepidation
into the hearts of wrong-doers by developing a mystique and secreting himself
in the shadows while serving brutal, even vicious, retribution on behalf of
criminals’ victims. He battles the corrupt directly rather than seek political
or administrative solutions. The Batman’s actions are fed by personal loss,
anger and a desire to enforce punishment rather than seek high-minded justice.
Thus, not just his
existence but his outlook and objectives are formed and perhaps even tarnished
by the ongoing moral decay and despair that surround him. He is necessarily
blinkered and unable to achieve the broader vision of idealism as he makes it
clear he trusts no-one, with the exception of Gordon, and he is worn down by
the constant attrition of corrupt circumstances while also being spurred on by
the constant reliving of past pain and a desire for reckoning. However,
subjectivity and isolation can lead to errors in judgment and excess, issues
the Batman will come to recognise.
Gotham may represent
society in its true, if underlying, state. Here, morality does not exist and
Gotham’s political, commercial and social leaders have by and large accepted
the power-grabbing truth behind the façade of convention and respectability.
Only a handful of
citizens are willing to offer any challenge and they include the Riddler…
In this film the
antagonists are not cartoonish, exaggerated proponents of evil but are instead
relatively realistic characters with outlooks and grievances often created or
compounded, fairly or unfairly, by a collision of social issues and their temperament,
and so, just like the Batman, they may be viewed largely as the product of the
social environment that has been allowed to develop.
Of course, this
perspective was previously broached in Todd Phillips’ intriguing and insightful
“Joker”.
Riddler’s stated purpose
is at first glance admirable – to expose truth and denounce lies and
corruption. Of course, his methods involve murder and mayhem and cannot be
countenanced, but we and the Batman may have some sympathy and understanding
for his purpose and motives. Just as the Batman has a dark side, the Riddler
may have some right on his side. If the Batman is a victim of past wrongs and
societal failures, so, too, is the Riddler, and both are driven by an at times
misguided sense of justice.
Indeed, in a sense, each
owes his existence to Renewal, the idealistic social project proposed by
billionaire Thomas Wayne which collapsed shortly after Wayne’s murder, but not
before Wayne himself tarnished it by indulging, somewhat ironically, in some
underhand dealings to try to ensure its success.
Renewal may be viewed as
the ultimate example of the eternal conflict between opposing moral viewpoints.
No-one is perfect or impervious to error or poor judgment. Each of us may be
overwhelmed by temptation, self-absorption, an excess of self-belief or
disillusion, but we need to keep aiming for idealistic objectives or we will
end up with a culture similar to that in Gotham.
The Batman focused on
battling the corrupt directly rather than lead social renewal through
education, social care and commercial developments. Similarly, the Riddler
takes his fight directly to those he considers directly responsible for pain
and hardship. Each has reacted to personal misfortune and, driven by a personal
perception of justice, each is determined to bring about some form of
retribution.
It is only when the
Batman hears the familiar words “I am vengeance” from the lips of one of the
Riddler’s followers that he recognises similarities between them and he
realises he must raise the bar. He must offer hope and set an example by
helping his fellow man rather than merely seeking out vengeance and
retribution. He is evolving from a self-absorbed self-declared righter of
wrongs toward one who aims for the broader picture of fighting for humanity and
justice.
Film noir explores the
implications of lack of morality and will often offer up humanity and mutual
respect as a solution. Here, we have a film that appears to suggest society is
constructed around an eternal clash between character flaws and weaknesses, and
aspiration to a system of ethics greater than nihilism, even if the resulting
code is only man-made.
This dark and relatively
serious treatment will not appeal to all but I found its invitation to reflect
on the structure of society and its values, along with society’s influence on
character development, quite intriguing and absorbing.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
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