If you still haven’t watched the new Batman, we’re bringing you a spoiler-free summary of what to expect from the highly-anticipated film.

What’s new?

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy about the defender of Gotham City is now considered one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time. Batman’s new director, Matt Reeves, knew it would be very challenging, if not impossible, to take the old Batman down from his throne, so  he decided to take a completely different approach. Gotham’s gloomy and dirty streets complemented Bruce Wayne’s dark inner world, and Nirvana’s Something in the Way as a background of Batman’s monologues accentuated his current relevance. With his mission being bringing peace into the world infected with corruption and moral rottenness, he is more human and more relatable than ever.

Among other things, Batman is known for his gadgets. Car fans impatiently waited to see the new Batmobile in action, and it did not disappoint. While previous Batmobiles were futuristic beasts especially designed to cater to Caped Crusader’s superhero needs, this one looks like an upgraded version of a good old American muscle car, most likely the second-generation Dodge Charger. Since this film shows Batman’s first years, Reeves chose the vehicle that would correspond to the beginner’s version of a Batmobile that has evolved from a regular car to help him in his new mission.

Cast

After showing his introspective side in The Lighthouse, Robert Pattinson made his mark in superhero history as the first millennial Batman. His morally ambiguous companion, the Catwoman, is portrayed by talented Zoë Kravitz. Her role in this movie is more compassionate and less self-centered than we saw in previous films, and we loved the chemistry between her and Batman. Also, Kravitz used her spotlight to address some of the burning issues of our society, like white privilege, injustice, and violence toward women. Like Batman, a new Catwoman showed us she’s ready to protect our millennial values and fight for our ideals.

Furthermore, one of the characters who caught the most attention was the Penguin. According to the rumors, Colin Farrell wore his Penguin costume so convincingly that he went unrecognizable on the set, confusing his colleagues. Unfortunately, his screen time is relatively short, but Revees has already announced new projects where we can expect to see him more.

The New Villain

Gotham’s underworld is known for hiding some of the vilest and most peculiar faces in the comic world, and it would be interesting to see how they would stand against the Caped Crusader. If you forgot them by any chance, an infographic on Batman’s villains could help you refresh your memory.

Even though Joker and Batman go together like salt and pepper, new villains are always welcomed with high anticipation and curiosity. This time, Reeves decided to leave out the Clown Prince of Crime and put another villain under the spotlight. The new villain is the Riddler – a criminal mastermind who’s leaving a trace of unsolvable riddles announcing his following crimes. The last time we saw the Riddler on the big screen was a couple of years ago when Jim Carrey took the role of a rouged inventor who’s been fired from Wayne Enterprises after creating a device whose sole purpose is to steal people’s intellect. Paul Dano portrays the new Riddler, and he’s more of a lone wolf trying to unmask Gotham’s corrupted moguls and city officials. Aside from that, he’s an actual cold-blooded murderer resembling some of the most gruesome names in criminal history. Dano even admitted that violent scenes combined with lack of oxygen resulting from being under Riddler’s mask all day caused him to have sleep issues.

What to expect next

If you’re already hooked on the new Batman and want to see more, you won’t have to wait long. Reeves confirmed they’re working with HBO Max on a spinoff series that will give Farrell’s Penguin more screen time and tell us the story of his rise to power. Moreover, the movie producer Dylan Clark vaguely stated that we could expect the sequel in five years. Reeves has plenty of ideas and several different ways to carry them out, and we can’t wait to see what is up next.