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2022 was an incredible year in filmmaking, but "The Batman" stood above the rest. Here’s why “The Batman" should’ve won Best Picture, and why others fell short.
"Top Gun: Maverick”
It’s amazing to me where the public selects to put its outrage. Tom Cruise believes in outlawing psychiatry and he’s the biggest draw in Hollywood, but Prince Harry talks about his "todger” once in his audiobook, and he’s public enemy number one.
This was a fine movie that was beloved by the masses out of an abundance of nostalgia.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Here’s my summary of EEAAO: Boring, boring, boring … Multiverse … Boring, boring, boring … Everything bagel … Boring, boring … One of the greatest scenes in cinema history about hotdog fingers. In conclusion, more hotdog fingers, less everything else.
"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
This is the only movie that stood a chance against "The Batman." Dan Fogler’s performance as Jacob Kowalski in this movie was incredible. If you only focus on Kowalski and forget about the convoluted plot, the fact that there isn’t a main character and that Ezra Miller stayed in this trilogy longer than Johnny Depp, this becomes an instant classic.
"Avatar: The Way of Water”
WHERE WAS VIN DIESEL? I was promised he was going to be in this movie. Instead, I got 17-year-old Sigourney Weaver and “Titanic” without Leo DiCaprio. I spent two hours thinking this was Vin Diesel:
I remember my reaction in theaters. I loudly asked every person in my row, “hey, do you know if that’s Vin Diesel?” until a pregnant woman told me to, “shut up, and look it up on your phone.”
To my extreme disappointment, the character in question was played by Matt Gerald, a man with two first names. I dumped a full bag of popcorn on the pregnant woman sitting in front of me (I didn’t know she was pregnant) and swatted a child’s large strawberry lemonade to the ground, before leaving the theater distraught.
"The Batman”
“He’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.” When I heard that iconic line layered on top of Hans Zimmer’s legendary score in the final scene of "The Dark Knight," I never thought I’d see a version of Batman that could compete with Christopher Nolan’s vision. Then I saw "The Dark Knight Rises," which was just pretty good, and I thought, “Ok maybe something could be this good.”
When I watched Ben Affleck as Batman, I was like, “Yeah I was right the first time, nothing will be as good as 'The Dark Knight' trilogy.” I felt like the character of Batman had been tried as many times as the song "My Way,” and it was probably time to take a break. That sentiment changed when the very first trailer for “The Batman” was released.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman is unlike any before him. This movie was criticized because Pattinson’s performance didn’t feature the classic billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne aspect of Batman. Pattinson didn’t portray this aspect of Bruce Wayne because his character was addicted to the persona of Batman. Pattinson’s character never recovered from his parent's death, and the vengeance he achieved on the streets of Gotham was the only way he could feel better.
Pattinson’s character was loosely based on Kurt Cobain, and like any great Nirvana song, there is no break from intensity or tension in this film. Pattinson’s performance was different from Christian Bale’s, because Bale’s character seemed to identify as the persona of Batman more as each film went on but still clung onto the character of Bruce Wayne.
The cinematography in the car chase made my jaw drop, and the performances from Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell had me on the edge of my seat. My only slight critique of "The Batman" is that director Matt Reeves didn’t include anything about Pattinson’s adoration of trees– specifically, climbing them.
Bobby Gorbett is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Bobby know by tweeting him @GorbettBobby.
