The Batman: A Half-Asleep Viewer’s Point of View

The Batman is a violent, dark, action-packed movie that was released on March 4, 2022. I saw it on opening night at 8:30 pm, and sat in a crowded sold-out theater for three hours. The movie’s soundtrack and the overall aesthetic was very pleasing, but the majority of the storyline is fuzzy in my mind because about 45 minutes in, I began to fall asleep.

The movie, at least what I saw, is packed with violence and lots of cold-blooded brooding. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Batman movie without all that. I was drawn in from the start because the plot is different from the classic superhero trope. It is still Batman versus a villain (in this case, the Riddler), but follows more of a crime and puzzle-solving storyline to unmask the bad guy. At some point, (spoilers!) there is a man tied up in a church with a bomb and he has to solve riddles to survive. The way this is filmed builds incredible tension and although I was half-asleep, had me on the edge of my seat. Batman works with the police on the case, but has to do some underground superhero work to uncover more clues.

The introduction of Catwoman is what drew a lot of teenage viewers to this movie. DC movies are notorious for not being as humorous as Marvel, but the addition of a new female superhero besides Wonder Woman gave the movie a feminist aspect, drawing in movie-goers who might not typically see a DC movie. Zoë Kravitz played Catwoman stunningly and although I missed most of the storyline between her and Batman, I am sure it was great.

The song that now makes everyone think of this movie’s trailer, “Something in the Way” by Nirvana, has stuck with me and is now on my playlist. It captured the essence of Batman’s gloom and mystery while still being a song you could actually sing. I can’t say I have listened to the rest of the soundtrack, but I have heard it is good.

I can’t blame my drowsiness on the movie being boring because the moments I was conscious during were quite thrilling. I honestly don’t know how all the gunshots and punch-sounds didn’t wake me up. In the end, I would say that I’d see this movie again. I am interested to know what I missed and actually be able to comprehend the whole story. Next time I’ll have to go see it on a Sunday morning instead.