There is a growing number of people who are tired of the current state of superhero movies. Down-to-earth stories have been replaced by a ruthless formula that gives the fans exactly what they want at the expense of creativity and memorability. Thankfully, that is not the case with The Batman, DC’s latest take on the Caped Crusader. 

Many things have been changed. The Batman of this movie, played by Robert Pattinson, is more melancholy and less macho than before. His emo-ness is sometimes laughable, like when we see him unmasked and with his eyes painted black like a sad clown, but it has the desired effect of humanizing someone who was portrayed as a one-note playboy in the Dark Knight trilogy. Pattison’s Batman feels pain, has emotions and makes mistakes, the mythic aspects of his character exchanged for everyman earnestness. There is little screen time devoted to the bat-cave and gadgets like the bat-mobile. Instead, that time is spent developing the characters, as well as a multilayered detective drama.

Which brings me to the next way the movie is great: the story. There’s less action-filler and more mind games and sleuthing which finally see Batman fulfill his role as the World’s Greatest Detective, instead of the World’s Slickest Lady-Killer or the World’s Coolest Rich Guy. Batman’s cerebral qualities are drawn out by the movie’s villain, the Riddler, who, like a comic book version of the Zodiac killer, elevates murder and evading the cops to an art form. The thriller-aspects of the movie—and the movie really is a thriller more than anything—are accentuated by the icy cinematography and eerie score. It’s Gotham as we’ve never seen it before, and it’s awesome. 

The Batman also offers a good amount of thought-provoking social commentary (emphasis on thought-provoking). The Riddler represents what Batman could have become were he poor. Like Bruce Wayne, the Riddler was orphaned as a child, but the difference is that he grew up in Gotham’s cramped, rat-infested orphanages, leaving him with a working-class resentment that is the defining characteristic of our generation. There are other pertinent themes, such as moral decay and the responsibilities of those in power. The latter finds its fullest expression in Bruce Wayne, the inheritor of billions of dollars and a historic family legacy. To whom much is given, much is required and all that. 

Looking ahead to the inevitable sequel, The Batman lends itself well to a trilogy. The movie reveals that Gotham’s ruling class and criminal element are one and the same, but doesn’t go much further (hence the movie’s subtitle, “Unmask the Truth”). Yes, the Riddler is dealt with, but there are a host of other baddies who continue to steer the politics of Gotham from the shadows, such as the Penguin (Colin Farrell). So it was nice to leave the theater knowing that the sequel wouldn't be a shameless money-making scheme. Sadly, that is an accomplishment in itself.