A new trailer has just dropped for The Batman, and the new gothic interpretation of the title character seems like an intriguing approach.
While other comic book characters prance around in multicoloured spandex, Batman has always been a far more sombre superhero. Never has that appeared to be more true than in the new trailer for The Batman, which seems even darker than any of the previous adaptations:
The moody scenes are shot with a dark colour palette, only lit occasionally lit by flame or neon signage — and of course the Bat-Signal that pierces Gotham’s sky. The voiceover describes this beacon as “not just a call. It’s a warning” and it’s not hard to see why, as Batman ruthlessly dispatches his adversaries while seemingly being near-impervious to their scattershot gunfire.
Two villains make their appearances in the trailer: The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell (albeit under such heavy prosthetics that he’s unrecognisable); and The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. Though we only see the latter from behind, his identity hinted at by a question mark in a cappuccino, we’ve recently had a closer look at the character design thanks to a tie-in official Lego set that depicts the enigmatic enemy in close-up.
The trailer has earned a rapturous reception from Batfans, who are eagerly anticipating the first solo Batman film since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. During that time there have been several movies in the DC Expanded Universe starring Ben Affleck as the caped crusader, including Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but none where he takes the spotlight for himself.
Robert Pattinson’s intense interpretation looks to be a significant departure from ‘Batfleck’, though the new setting and timeline prompted this amusing aperçu from Vanity Fair critic Richard Lawson:
If this new Batman is, like Robert Pattinson, 35 years old and Bruce Wayne was 8 when his parents were killed, it’s entirely possible that the movie Thomas and Martha Wayne saw just before their death was CITY SLICKERS II: THE LEGEND OF CURLY’S GOLD
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) October 16, 2021
The Batman will swoop into cinemas on 4 March 2022.
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