When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
Director and co-writer Matt Reeves has created a new Batman iteration in which Robert Pattinson reinvents billionaire Bruce Wayne as an elegantly wasted rock star recluse.
Zoë Kravitz is stylish and assured as cat burglar Selina Kyle, or Catwoman. Andy Serkis plays Wayne’s butler Alfred while Paul Dano as Riddler and Colin Farrell as Penguin make splendid adversaries.
Brooding, brilliant, and breath-taking, ‘The Batman’ hits that elusive sweet spot between a made-for-the-masses popcorn flick and a deeply complex political thriller.