Film Shapes

The (important definite article attached) Batman has cleared up all the mess of previous DC Batman films and given us a grungy, gothic, dystopian film that has more in common with a Fincher thriller than a comic book. And it's trite to say all they needed to do was add a 'the' but it worked for The Suicide Squad , comes up roses again here. Director Matt Reeves actually sets this up as a detective yarn with a cryptic serial killer as the villain, happily eschewing any kind of Wayne backstory. The plot gets a touch strandy as we follow Batman, played with righteous jaw-work by Robert Pattinson and Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) as they winkle out the clues set by the Riddler, an incredible Paul Dano. The film opens with someone watching an obviously rich, probably powerful guy through binoculars. This turns out to be the Riddler staking out Gotham City's mayor, before making him victim number one. The reflection of this scene happens shortly after when Batte...