If the title didn’t give it away already, another fun fact about me is that I am a little bit of a nerd. Whether it be sci-fi, videogames, or superhero-related things I have enjoyed it ever since I was a child. It isn’t as intense as it was back then, but there are still things that perk up my ears as soon as I come across it. In this case, it was the first glimpse at the upcoming 2021 film The Batman. Now if you haven’t seen the teaser trailer yet, you can find the link to it here or by watching the video below.
After watching this teaser a few times, overall, I’m genuinely excited to see more of it. I’ve heard Robert Pattinson has gotten much better at acting in his later movies, though I haven’t seen any yet. But as a young Bruce Wayne, he pulls off the look well. Many were worried about how he’d sound or look as the Dark Knight, especially after finding out he had no plans to bulk up for the role.
Yes, his lines in this trailer were minimal – especially as Batman – but in that brief second of hearing his Bat voice I honestly thought it wasn’t too bad. The grizzled, deep voice versions from Bale and Affleck work well; more so because they portrayed an older Bruce Wayne/Batman. What many early critics tend to forget is that Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is supposed to be around Year 2 of being the Caped Crusader. This is a period of his life where it’s not quite an origin story, but rather figuring out how to deal with fighting crime.
I’ve lately seen many critiques pertaining to the suit and, again, this time of Wayne’s life is trial and error and seeing what works as he starts to encounter different villains. Perhaps the biggest comment I’ve seen is about the iconic Batmobile, itself, with plenty of people disliking the model. Again, Bruce is much younger as opposed to his late 30s/early 40s version, and what do young people typically like to drive? Rather than driving a tank like Bale’s Batman, or the more traditional elongated one like Affleck’s recent version, younger Pattinson will be riding in a more muscular type of car. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
Keep in mind, in the history of Batman live action films, outside of perhaps Bale’s first film, we’ve never had a “young Batman” series of movies. It’s typically been where Bruce has been doing this for some time, and has seen some stuff. So here, everything is fresh and allows the film producers to test new things and see how it goes. This makes sense, since the Batman series is starting fresh with Ben Affleck deciding to not continue; although he will appear once more in The Flash movie alongside OG Batman Micheal Keaton. Will he only appear in the Justice League/Suicide Squad universe or will they find a way to bring in Robert Pattinson’s version after this movie? We don’t know, but the opportunities are there to think about.
Back to trying new ideas, there definitely will be gadgets being used which is good. Will the detective side of Batman be shown? I’m not sure based on the trailer, but since the main villain appears to be the Riddler now would be a good time to finally show off the one skill that often gets neglected in Batman films. Sure, we know Bats can kick some butt and he has a lot of technology inside the utility belt, but we hardly see the brilliant mind at work. Sitting in front of the Batcomputer and pulling up something isn’t exactly detective work. I’m thinking more along the lines of going to a crime scene and analyzing evidence like DNA and taking blood samples or tracking footprints and other items. Creating antidotes at the lab or scanning for key features in a room are some other ideas that would be nice to see. Let’s hope in this soft reboot, it can be shown some more.
As for the villain, himself, I will be honest and say I’m not particularly thrilled about what I have seen so far. While I am glad to see the Riddler return, and given another shot to show a different side to himself, I’m not in love with his design. Namely the face. What is the obsession with duct tape?? Like seriously, I get the use of it for attaching the riddles but why the face? From the first victim in the opening seconds of the trailer, to a messenger taped with another clue, to the supposed main baddie hiding his face behind it – the tape is everywhere. In no form of media, in my lifetime, do I recall seeing the Riddler hiding his face behind tape. It could pertain to the story, and just be in the early part of the film, but I hope that’s the extent. I want to see that iconic green attire with question marks, a cane and maybe a bowler hat as well.
I get the vibe that this version of Riddler is more evil than he is wacky, as if inspired by the Zodiac killer. Again, I’m all for trying new ideas and this definitely can work well with this villain, in particular, except please change the design and remove the tape by the end of the film. Overall, from what the initial trailer showed looks quite promising. Many must remember the timeline of this version of Batman, and that many things we’re used to or expecting (like a sleek suit and Batmobile) probably won’t be around as he is supposed to be figures out the crime fighting business. Plus, it’s the first movie of a new series, so if it’s obviously that much of an issue then it can be quickly remedied in the second movie and beyond. I can’t wait to see the next trailer for it, and give it my thoughts, but we’ll have to wait several months before the next one flies in. Until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this teaser trailer and what you’re excited/hoping to see in this latest entrant to the Batman film series.
Novatourist 