MOVIE REVIEW: We head into the darkness with Robert Pattinson in The Batman

My most anticipated movie of the year sees Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl to strike menace into the criminals of Gotham City .

As a big fan of all things Batman , I had almost ridiculous expectations for Matt Reeves’ flick, which sees the Caped Crusader in the second year of his crime-fighting career.

Thankfully, I wasn’t left disappointed! The Batman more than does justice to the character with a different take on the vigilante than evidenced in his previous films.

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The grungy aesthetics and music are perfect for Pattinson’s younger Batman and those who bristled at the Brit’s casting can rest easy; he doesn’t have much to say, but emotions pour out of his eyes - and his fists often do the talking for him.

The Dark Knight can often feel like a supporting character as colourful villains take centre stage, however, that doesn’t happen here as Reeves and co-scripter Peter Craig never lose sight of the importance of their leading man and how he struggles with his temper, past and becoming 'the hero Gotham needs'.

That’s not to say the baddies taking Batman to the limit aren’t memorable. The Zodiac killer was the inspiration behind Paul Dano’s very different version of The Riddler and with a penchant for violence, murder and devilish puzzles, he almost matches Heath Ledger’s Joker as the Caped Crusader’s most chilling opponent.

Sometimes you say an actor is unrecognisable in a role and it’s not strictly true, but Colin Farrell is like a completely different person as The Penguin - the closest thing the film has to an over-the-top presence.

Zoë Kravitz - fierce, glamorous and independent - is a great Catwoman and Andy Serkis ( Alfred ) and Jeffrey Wright ( James Gordon ) bring much more to their characters than we’ve often seen on screen.

Reeves embraces Batman’s Great Detective history by arming Pattinson with impressive tools to try and solve the troubling central mystery.

With brutal brawling, a gripping car chase and an array of explosions, the action wows too and while the near three-hour running time might put some people off, it really does fly by.

More time, and repeat viewings, are needed to establish exactly where The Batman sits among the Caped Crusader’s cinematic outings, but it’s definitely soaring high into the sky alongside The Dark Knight rather than lurking way underground with Batman & Robin .

● The Batman is showing in cinemas now.

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