‘The Batman’ Review & Live-Action Ranking

 \Me and The Bat? We go back a ways.

The Kenner Batman from the Super Powers Collection was one of the first action figures I ever owned. 1992’s Batman Returns was the first PG-13 movie I saw in theaters. Batman: The Animated Series remains high on my list of greatest TV shows of all time, whether animated or otherwise. Hell, I’ve been Batman on Halloween more than any other character. Even though I tend to favor the Marvel side of things on the superhero front these days, The Caped Crusader is and always will be close to my heart.

So, yeah, I was hyped for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, simply because it’s, well, more Batman. Did we need a darker, grittier take on a character that’s only gotten darker and grittier on-screen since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy? Nah, probably not. Personally, I’d be down for some Batman: The Brave & The Bold-style surrealism when the next reboot inevitably rolls around, but I digress.

Misgivings about yet another “realistic” take on the Batman mythos aside, I thoroughly enjoyed The Batman which, for nearly three tension-filled hours, offers a surprisingly fresh take on The Dark Knight and his rogues gallery.

The Batman is dark. Really dark. This film is closer to Se7en or Silence of the Lambs than it is to a typical superhero movie, thanks in large part to a genuinely unsettling Riddler played by the creepy-when-he’s-not-overdoing-it Paul Dano. Fortunately for Gotham City, The Batman is on the case … and he’s not alone. Robert Pattinson plays a tired, strung-out Bruce Wayne who hasn’t gotten the hang of the whole nocturnal vigilante quite yet, and he’s joined by Zoë Kravitz’s phenomenal Selina Kyle. Pattinson and Kravitz are a lot of fun to watch, and give us one of the best superhero pseudo-romances in recent memory. Kravitz shines even brighter than Pattinson – she deserves her own spin-off and soon – but anyone doubting whether the Twilight alum is worthy to wear the cowl will likely be silenced fairly early in the film.

Unlike many other on-screen adaptations of The Caped Crusader, The Batman spends the bulk of its screentime showcasing the crimefighter as The World’s Greatest Detective. He’s investigating crime scenes alongside Lieutenant Jim Gordon (the incredibly game Jeffrey Wright), he’s analyzing The Riddler’s labyrinthine clues and he’s chasing down and interrogating Gotham scum (and throwing hands if the conversation demands it). It’s satisfying seeing a young, inexperienced Batman working to figure things out – both in his own life and the eerie Riddler case – and the story that pulls from DC Comics source material like The Long Halloween, Hush and even Zero Year gives Bats plenty to contend with.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Colin Farrell’s Penguin (“Ozzie” to some) is a pure delight, both in terms of performance and practical makeup. Calling Farrell’s Penguin a transformation would be an understatement, and I hope we see more of him in the sequel.

Speaking of the sequel, there’s a scene tacked onto the end of the film in which a future villain makes a brief appearance. Although it wouldn’t quite be a Batman series without this character, I don’t think we needed to see or hear them yet.

There have been a lot of live-action Batman films (counting Batman v Superman in this case but excluding the team-up Justice League film), so how does The Batman stack up? Here’s my new live-action Batman movie ranking to make you want to either nod approvingly or chuck a Batarang at my head. 

1. Batman Returns
2. The Dark Knight
3. Batman (1989)
4. Batman Begins
5. The Batman
6. Batman Forever
7. Batman (1966)
8. The Dark Knight Rises
9. Batman & Robin
10. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Anne Hathaway Sounds Off on Catwoman Reaction

It’s no secret that comic book and movie geeks are hard to please, even when it comes to hot women in skintight leather. So I guess none of were surprised over the backlash against Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman duds in some leaked photos from the set of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

MTV News caught up with the Oscar-nominated actress, who had some interesting things to say about fans’ response to her costume. Watch the clip below.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

UPDATE: Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman Suit Revealed! Or Not!

Late last week, photos of a catsuited Anne Hathaway straddling a Batpod—totally not a euphemism—made its rounds on the ‘net, generating a ton of speculation as to how Selina Kyle’s feline alter ego would factor into Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, which hits theaters next summer.

On Saturday, notorious entertainment blogger Perez Hilton added more fuel to the fire with this unobstructed, full-body still of Hathaway’s Catwoman, complete with futuristic goggles and a noticeable lack of actual cat elements. However, a number of websites and even a few of you have noted that this graphic is a total fake. A fraud. a sham. Not real.

Move along, folks! Nothing to see here!

Will Anne Hathaway Become Catwoman in 'The Dark Knight Rises?'

If the thought of seeing Anne Hathaway in skintight leather and/or latex excites you, I’ve got some great news.

Although we’ve known for several weeks that the Academy Award-nominated actress and 2011 Oscar host would be playing Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, fans have been speculating whether Ms. Kyle’s seductive, pointy-eared alter ego would also be appearing in the anticipated Dark Knight sequel. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Hathaway provided some degree of clarity when she described her role in the 2012 film as “Catwoman,” never once specifying that she’ll only be playing Selina. At one point, she even screamed “I’m Catwoman!” at the top of her lungs.

It’s possible that she’s merely simplifying things and we’re all just looking far too deeply into her choice of words. After all, it’s gotta be a lot more fun for her to tell people that she’s playing Catwoman as opposed to some cat lover named Selina. Having said that, this is still encouraging news.

Cinema Blend has the full story.

Selina Kyle and Bane Confirmed for 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Warner Bros. announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. The studio press release—which you can read in full at Deadline.com—does not specify whether or not Selina becomes her sultry alter ego Catwoman in the anticipated Dark Knight sequel, but let’s all hope she slips into some skintight leather at some point in the film. Hey, geeks can dream.

The studio also announced that Tom Hardy (Nolan’s Inception) has been cast as Bane, the hulking behemoth who broke Batman/Bruce Wayne’s back in the 1993-94 Knightfall storyline. In that arc, Bane—a steroid-fueled criminal genius—freed all of the most dangerous inmates at Arkham Asylum, forcing Batman to go up against all of his most diabolical foes simultaneously. After taking Batman to his limit, Bane tracked the Caped Crusader to Wayne Manor, beat him within an inch of his life and broke his back over his knee. As a result, a wheelchair-bound Bruce was forced to hang up the cape and cowl for an extended period of time.

“I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies,” Nolan said in a statement.

Nolan’s made interesting choices in casting Hathaway and Hardy, and as was the case in casting Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, these decisions will almost certainly pay off.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.