Why The Batman is the best version of the Caped Crusader

If you’re one of the people lucky and privileged enough to see the dazzling new Batman film, it’s not much of a shock that fans are happy to have a welcome return to the darker and more complex iteration of the character that kept audiences on the edge of their seats.

Of course, the casting of Robert Pattinson, at first, had many people worried for the future of the franchise, but he was able to make up for any doubts ten-fold. With that being said, here’s why this is the best version of the Dark Knight.

The Batman drenches itself in darkness

Most Batman movies often rely on darkness to set the tone of the narrative and The Batman is no exception. However, much like Todd Phillips’ 2019 masterpiece Joker, The Batman uses darkness to its benefit and often weaves a gritty and macabre-laced fantasy world into the setting of the film.

Batman and darkness are almost synonymous with one another and the Caped Crusader has used his dark gifts to fight crime. In this 2022 film, it seems that darkness is all there is and the character surrounds himself in dark corridors and with dark, shifty people. In The DarkKnight, Christian Bale’s Batman faced some dark foes but it always felt like he could have gone darker in his execution.

Pattinson embraces more of the darkness by lurking and pouncing from the shadows like an actual bat attacking his prey in the cool of the night.

The Batman has a better relationship with Alfred

In a new turn of events, Wayne’s relationship to Alfred seems more genuine and heartfelt than in other iterations of the film. Alfred not only feels like an extension of Bruce’s family but also helps Bruce in deciphering the Riddler’s clues. Bruce even looks after Alfred after he is hurt by one of the Riddler’s bomb tricks.

It hits closer to home knowing that Alfred had a devastating secret that he kept from Bruce to protect the family name–Bruce included.

The Batman comes through as a detective

Batman has always been known as the dark vigilante in a mask, but he has also been known as a detective and this film has the hero in crime-fighting detective fashion. His ability to attempt to track down the Riddler and try and stop the villain before it’s too late is nearly superb.

Pattinson plays as more of a sleuth than a hero, but that’s not to say that that is an inherently terrible thing. His ability to fight crime and still maintain his Sherlock Holmes persona as the comic book character is balanced well.