The Problem With Vengeance
Intro
I saw The Batman on the 2nd and I’m still sitting here geeking out, turning over all the themes and moments in my mind (Or rather I was when I wrote this half a month ago but still). The Batman is truly an achievement for comic book movies, and one of DC and Warner Bros’ greatest films in the last couple of years. Rather than follow the trends of what’s become its own genre, make an attempt at being some half assed cinematic universe or conform to any type of comic book movie convention, Matt Reeves gives us the greatest on screen depiction of Gotham City yet, and does so with amazing writing, outstanding character work and one hell of a political mystery that rivals not just the greatest Batman depictions, but the greatest depictions of any hero, super or otherwise. He takes the lore and history of Gotham, and frames it in a seedy noir setting that allows the many facets of Batman and Gotham to be used to their fullest potential. Everything in this movie is so detailed and original, which makes it easy to become immersed in Gotham with all its dirty buildings, eternal rain and the gorgeous array of orange lights. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing better than watching a good movie with a pretty girl. There’s a lot to be said here about AMC curly fries too. But today, my point here isn’t about how pretty my friend is, or how fucking good AMC fries are; this post is all about the themes of The Batman. While Pattinsons Batman is great, he spends most of this movie as a false idol, acting with the wrong motivations. But as he comes closer to the true darkness of Gotham, he realizes that there’s a problem with vengeance, one he must solve if he wants to truly make a difference as The Batman.
The Bat & The Cat
With the relationship between Bruce and Selina, we begin to see how Bruce’s vigilantism and his need for revenge affect those around him. They’re both looking to avenge their parents death, but while Bruce blames Gotham abstractly, Selina still has a person she can point the finger at. While she goes about it very differently, Selina wants the same thing as Bruce; a peaceful Gotham and justice for those harmed by the system. Though, rather than being careful and focused like Batman, Selina isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty evening the scales in Gotham. As she gets deeper and deeper into her revenge quest, she becomes more radical, going as far as to try killing Falcone to avenge her mother and herself. She’s haunted by her past, and she tries to act out of justice, but the more she fights the more personal it gets. WIth Falcone’s death, she’s free to aim her pure intentions elsewhere, though the need for real atonement still lingers as she leaves the city.
No More Lies
On the other hand, as we come to find out, The Riddler sees The Batman as an ally, and in some ways a mentor. He not only tries to be his partner, he takes on his ideals about vengeance and tries to work with him to get revenge for Gotham’s lower class. Unlike Heath Ledger’s Joker, who uses Batman like a pawn, The Riddler truly believes that the two are working together and want the same things. After being treated like garbage his whole life, and with the false promise of the Renewal Fund, he believes that he and Gotham are owed the truth, and in taking inspiration from Batman, The Riddler sets out to kill the elite and corrupt. In his eyes, this not only corrects all the wrong done in Gotham, but it appeases Batman, his (and somewhat our) false hero. Just like Selina, Edward has pure intentions, but his execution is extremely flawed and he loses sight of the true goal due to his own ambition, with his want for personal revenge overshadowing the need for justice. With this contrast, we can see a sort of spectrum form, where one is either focused on justice for Gotham or revenge for themselves. While The Riddler and Catwoman fall more toward the side of vengeance, ideally The Batman should be more on the side of justice. But as we come to find, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hope, Not Fear
As Bruce says in his closing monologue, he’s had an effect on Gotham, but not the one he intended. When he’s face to face with The Riddler, he realizes that he’s inspired the wrong people, and in turn dragged Gotham further toward darkness. Rather than use fear as a tool to create change, his brutal methods have only brought out the worst in those who want to do good, and left them with less power to build a better future for themselves or the city. As he thinks of everything that’s happened in the last week, he realizes that Batman as a symbol can only do so much. Batman needs to become a person, a figure Gotham can truly rely on. By saving Falcone, he begins to understand how a generational divide and an exercise in privilege and power has destroyed Gotham, but it isn’t until the interrogation scene that Bruce realizes the problem with vengeance. Doing something after the fact, being angry at the past, it only breeds obsession. In that stadium, letting his rage consume him would have killed Bruce and doomed Gotham, but by offering his hand to the people in a way he hadn’t before, it changed everything. He steps out of the shadows, and works with Gotham to protect the innocent, thereby ending the cycle of death, chaos and manipulation the generation before him upheld. It was Frank Miller who said that The Batman is a hero out to make himself unnecessary, but as we find, he can’t do so with brute force alone. It takes more than gadgets and a suit to make a difference. As Gotham bounces back from the flood, Bruce begins to see that being Batman means letting go of the past, and vengeance, in a way that perfectly completes Bruce's arc in a way that is outstandingly hopeful and solidifies this movie as one of the most thoughtful, mature and insightful takes on the caped crusader yet.