“The Caped Crusader” … “the World’s Greatest Detective” … “The Dark Knight.” Whether you love him or hate you, you have to respect him. It’s Batman. He’s often referred to as one of the most popular comic book heroes of all time. It would be rare for you to walk up to someone randomly on the street, ask them who some of their favorite superheroes of all time are and not get at least a few Batman answers.
While many different men have donned the cowl, two who seem to stick out. These two are who many consider to be the best on-screen adaptations ever: Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson. Both are great, but the film bros of the world seem unable to let them live in peace and always try to pick a favorite. I would argue against this … very strongly, I might add. I would argue that since both depictions of the “Caped Crusader” are so good, you cannot compare them, nor should you, due to them both being perfect in their own respects. They are different. They are not trying to tell the same story. That is the whole point.
Firstly, you have Christian Bale’s Batman. With the help of the Oscar-winning director, Christopher Nolan, Bale’s Batman became the poster child for many. Renowned by most as one of the greatest films of all time — regardless of genre — the second film in the trilogy, “The Dark Knight,” revolutionized the way people view comic book movies forever. It was grounded, yet at the same time, epic. Explosions … car chases … suspense — this film had all the means for your typical superhero movie done perfectly, but at the same time, this film has generational storytelling, character building and acting. Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars in 2009 for his role as the Joker, for crying out loud! This movie, along with just this specific depiction of Batman and everything associated with it, are just so very hard to beat and will stand the test of time.
In this trilogy, you see many different stories being told simultaneously, perfectly. Yes, you have the obvious arc of Batman across the three films, but you have the antagonist’s stories, too. These villains are drawn out and depicted in a way that makes you almost find yourselves saying, “Yeah, okay, that makes sense.” Their stories are understandable, but most importantly, believable. In the realm of comic book movies, you have aliens or evil robots wanting to take over the world. That is not the case here. These are people who have been shaped by experiences and are trying to cope in the only ways they deem possible. That’s what makes them so loved, even though they are the villain.
“Some men just want to watch the world burn,” Alfred Pennyworth, the butler to Bruce Wayne, famously said in 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”
One thing that Bale’s take on the character gets right, maybe better than anything, is his depiction of Bruce Wayne. He is cocky, charismatic, fun and over the top. No one would ever suspect the person who drives around in sports cars with supermodels under both arms could possibly be the same one who dresses up like a bat and fights crime every night. Bruce Wayne does not play the role of Batman; Batman plays the role of Bruce Wayne. That’s why it worked so well. Bale played the character as just that. He bought hotels on the spot, he flirted with every girl he saw and he made it impossible to guess that he was the one under the mask.
Throughout his trilogy, you have these perfect examples of true heroism at its finest. Whether it be taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s murder to save Dent’s own image, personally driving a nuclear bomb away from the city to save everyone or anything else in between, after watching these movies, you just feel like a better person, wanting to do more, wanting to be good.
“It’s not who I am underneath,” Bale, as Batman, boldly stated in the 2005 film, “Batman Begins,” “but what I do that defines me.”
On the other hand, you have Robert Pattinson’s darker, grittier take on the character. Nicknamed “Battinson,” “The Batman,” directed by Matt Reeves, released in 2022. This film depicted Gotham as a place of torment and despair. It was ALWAYS raining. This Batman was not seen as a symbol of hope, but a symbol of fear … of vengeance (as directly stated in the movie … so cool). In the movie, Bruce Wayne is still very fresh in his role as the Batman. He takes on more of the role of “world’s greatest detective” than a superhero. He is grounded, constructing his own suit, assembling his own technology, which is not state-of-the-art at all. He uses his mind before his fists, which he also uses very well. This film leaves you sucked into a bleak noir reality where it seems as if you will never be able to smile again. He took inspiration from David Fincher, who directed “Se7en” and “Fight Club” in the 1990s, both of which had settings with the same eerie feeling to them. This is a film of growth and realization of one’s importance in the grand scheme of things.
This Bruce Wayne is sheltered and antisocial. He has the money, yes, but he keeps to himself, confined to his parents’ old estate. He never goes out. He has to wear sunglasses inside because it is too bright for him.
What makes this film so great is the way it shows Batman’s growth throughout the movie. In the 2022 film, Pattinson delivers a monologue where he talks of being a nocturnal animal (nodding to the whole “bat” persona) as well as believing he is the only one who can save the city.
“When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call — it’s a warning,” Pattinson’s Batman said. “To them. Fear is a tool. They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows.”
That is what he believes.
As the movie continues, he realizes how wrong he was. Since he spent the entire movie using fear and vengeance as his primary weapons, he sees that he has “inspired” the wrong people. He preached of seeking retribution and getting revenge, which is exactly the enemy’s motive in the movie as well. Batman realizes that he and the person whom he has sworn to bring to justice are the same, just wearing a different mask.
He needed to change.
“I’m starting to see now,” said Pattinson’s Batman, at the end of the film. “I have had an effect here … but not the one I intended. Vengeance won’t change the past, mine or anyone else’s. I have to become more. People need hope. To know someone’s out there for them.”
Whether you love Bale or Pattinson, you cannot mention one without the other. That is why they coexist so well. They both tell their own versions of the most popular character of all time.
Both are great. Both are perfect. Both tell the tale of a true “Dark Knight.”
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