Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Batman Blu-ray Movie Review

A dark and stormy knight.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 20, 2022

The Batman film series has had plenty of ups and downs over the years. Older fans might push for Tim Burton's 1989 film or maybe its sequel as personal favorites, while the next generation usually claims Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight as a high water mark. But no matter the end result, we at least want "the next one" to be great. Batman the character, or at least the guy playing him, is another matter entirely: these actors are typically met by a tidal wave of fan backlash, even though most ultimately redeemed themselves. (Ironically, one of the only actors not immediately balked at looked like this four months before signing on.) Robert Pattinson was no exception: Twilight may be a distant memory now, but even his head-turning roles in Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars, The Lighthouse, and other more recent films couldn't prevent knee-jerk Edward Cullen jokes. While Pattinson isn't the best part of Matt Reeves' The Batman, he at least solidly anchors a film more concerned with tone and atmosphere than air-tight storytelling.

But what an atmosphere it is. The Batman shows instant promise during an opening sequence that's among the finest in franchise history, seamlessly introducing most of its key players with skill: Batman as a fledgling detective, primary villain The Riddler (Paul Dano), an exhausted police force unofficially led by Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and most importantly Gotham City itself as a dense, sprawling hellscape on the verge of collapse. I usually can't help but roll my eyes when any fellow critic proclaims a film's backdrop as "its own character", but that observation clearly applies here... and to nearly the same degree as landmark films like Ridley Scott's Blade Runner or David Fincher's Se7en. It also takes more than a few storytelling cues from the latter: as The Riddler continues his brutal, strategic killing spree that began with a high-ranking Gotham public official, his deeply psychotic words -- both via audio/video recordings and scribbled journal entries -- instantly remind us of the cold and calculating John Doe.

Another Fincher film that The Batman perpetually recalls is Zodiac (if only for The Riddler's borderline goofy costume and fondness for ciphers), which earned its nearly three-hour running time with an accessible, engaging narrative that spanned several decades while following its central characters through every hopeful lead, near-miss, and frustrating dead end. Director Reeves seems more content with broadly imitating that kind of detective story: some elements hit their mark, but The Batman's near-endless marathon of clues and answers -- some of which are handled much quicker than others -- rarely lands with the same impact, sometimes feeling more repetitive than rewarding as it chugs towards the finish. Much has already been said about the film's formidable running time of 176 minutes but, while The Batman doesn't necessarily feel bloated in the moment, it could have easily been trimmed by 20-30 minutes with no great loss to the core narrative. This can especially be felt during The Batman's final stretch, which again aims for a Se7en-like coda after a perceived early resolution to the Riddler saga before lurching into extra innings.

Even so, The Batman is an often captivating film that, to its considerable credit, does a fine job integrating viewers into new but familiar territory in short order, taking cues from Nolan's trilogy without feeling like a copycat. The cast and character roster is mostly great: as mentioned earlier, Pattison brings more than just a chiseled jawline to the lead role, as Batman remains a strong presence as either a calculating detective, fierce combatant, or even just a silent observer. (His Bruce Wayne runs a slightly distant second, but then again doesn't factor into the story as much as earlier films.) Zoë Kravitz also impresses as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, who gets a backstory familiar to long-time Batman fans and, as usual, preys on Gotham's simps at every opportunity; other franchise staples like Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and The Riddler stray a bit more from earlier big-screen portrayals while still feeling true to their respective characters. (Paul Dano's performance as the latter is as potentially divisive as you've heard, but for me was a largely captivating one.) Only two performances or roles are lukewarm, and they're both the closest thing to partners that Batman gets other than Catwoman: James Gordon, who feels more like an expositional sidekick; and butler Alfred (Andy Serkis), whose is likewise underdeveloped and kind of distracting in his handful of scenes.

Since it's more of a tonal and atmospheric film than a purely character-driven one, The Batman will likely register as an exciting new direction for the franchise if you're sold on its strongest points. If you're not, it'll be a long ride. But even while there's clearly some room for improvement in areas that aren't cinematography and sound design, overall the film still works very well within franchise boundaries and will hopefully lead to even bigger (in scope, not length) and better things for one of DC's most reliable and enduring characters. Keeping in line with previous entries, Warner Bros. offers a strong home video package right out of the gate: this Blu-ray combo pack smartly separates the movie from its bonus features, a pretty decent collection of behind-the-scenes featurettes relegated to their own disc.

For an even more positive take on the main feature, please see Brian Orndorf's glowing theatrical review. A three-disc 4K/Blu-ray combo pack is also available, as are store-exclusive releases from Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart.

The Batman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a 1080p transfer of native 4K source material, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray presentation of The Batman is quite good during most of its lengthy lifespan but can't quite hold up to scrutiny at all times. In the areas of black levels, shadows, and overall depth contained in its low-contrast cinematography, it holds up reasonably well and this is largely due to the film being given its own dual-layered (50GB) disc -- it's a tricky film to squeeze onto the format for sure, and for those with small to medium sized displays the video presentation will possibly be "good enough". But anyone with a larger screen -- or who has seen the film either theatrically or in 4K beforehand, not counting its streaming counterpart on HBO Max -- it'll be easy to tell that something's missing. Besides for the format's standard Achilles heels including banding and posterization (both of which can be seen sporadically, but not always to a distracting degree), the film's mostly muted color palette is negatively affected as primary colors and more subtle hues lean more towards unnatural, garish territory than the 4K's much smoother and nuanced presentation. But again, if you're seeing The Batman for the first time here such problems may not register as strongly. While this transfer's visual shortcomings might normally warrant a slightly lower rating than what I've given it here, both the difficulty of its source material and Warner Bros.' respectable decision to given the movie sufficient real estate nudged it up a little. But it still comes in a reasonably distant second, although this Blu-ray still likely outpaces most streaming versions.

For thoughts on the separate 4K release's superior 2160p transfer, please see my separate review of that title.

The Batman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Batman's sound design is another notch in the win column, as the default Dolby Atmos mix likewise preserves a theater-grade experience that packs quite a punch at key moments during the film. There's more sonic variety than expected here, with most tied directly to the camera angle or point-of-view at hand, from an in-wall shot at the Gotham City morgue to over-the-shoulder and first-person driving scenes, as well as the effective overhead presence of heavy rain and the original score by Michael Giacchino, which gets an awful lot of mileage out of two notes. (Original joke, I know.) Then there's the action scenes, which take place anywhere from near-empty streets to warehouses and even the Iceberg Lounge nightclub, where diegetic music is pumped in from just about every angle to a suitably punishing degree. Directional and panning effects are as frequent as expected, with LFE that regularly digs deep during frequent music cues and certain on-screen events, such as fiery explosions and exceptionally heavy punches. This is an overall impressive presentation that sits right in line with some of the best Atmos tracks in recent memory.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all applicable extras.

The Batman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc release (one Blu-ray movie disc, one DVD movie disc, and one Blu-ray bonus feature disc) ships in a hinged keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The extras listed below can all be found on the second Blu-ray disc.

• Looking for Vengeance (4:57) - Fight choreographer Rob Alonzo, Matt Reeves, and Robert Pattinson break down the details of behind-the-scenes training and discuss Batman's chaotic street-fighting style.

• The Batman: Genesis (6:09) - Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson return to share their personal insight about the lead actor's initial casting and the choices made for this portrayal of a well-established comic icon, as well as the unique challenges and rewards of exploring a younger Batman and Bruce Wayne.

• Vengeance Meets Justice (8:04) - Paul Dano, along with Reeves and Pattinson, draw several parallels and differences between Batman and The Riddler as two sides of the same coin.

• Becoming Catwoman (8:36) - Another character-driven piece, this featurette includes comments from Zoë Kravitz about her representation of Selina Kyle / Catwoman and the on-set experience.

• The Batmobile (10:51) - Special effects supervisor Domonic Tuohy, actor Jeffrey Wright, Robert Pattinson, producer Dylan Clark, production designer James Chinlund, Matt Reeves, and others speak about this film's new version of Batman's iconic car, from its initial design to the final build.

• Anatomy of The Car Chase (6:08) - Many of the previous participants return for a quick but informative breakdown of the impressive nighttime car chase between Batman and The Penguin.

• Anatomy of The Wing Suit Jump (6:29) - This similar featurette focuses on a rather unique gadget in Batman's arsenal and the scene that featured it, which was aided by cutting-edge drone technology.

• Vengeance In The Making (53:41) - Easily the most substantial featurette on this disc (but curiously hiding in the middle), this mid-length piece features a wealth of participants -- many listed above -- who speak in detail about the production as a whole, mostly focusing on story construction and development while also touching on casting, visual design, and other fundamentals, while lots of candid on-set footage is also featured.

• Unpacking the Icons (5:47) - This stylishly-shot piece briefly covers the film's unique tone and iconic costume design, and how many of these physical elements were made to suit their respective characters.

• A Transformation: The Penguin (7:59) - A short but examination of the extensive makeup and prosthetics used to turn Colin Farrell into a completely unrecognizable but instantly memorable villain.

• Deleted Scenes - Two scenes, "Joker / Arkham" (5:53) and "Selina Gets a 44 Below Keycard" (1:53), are presented in 1080p with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 audio with optional commentary by Matt Reeves.

The Batman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Matt Reeves' The Batman is an accomplished piece of atmospheric cinema and the solid first step of a planned trilogy, even if bits and pieces of its story and narrative flow show some room for improvement. This worthy production should please established fans and first-time viewers alike, although anyone completely new the franchise should try before they buy. Warner Bros. has made several different editions available, but this 4K/Blu-ray combo pack is incredibly tough to beat with a high-quality A/V presentation and even a separate disc full of bonus features. A strong release right out of the gate, The Batman will likely sneak into my list of this year's best home video packages.