For as long as movies have existed, comic book films have been fantastical, CGI-rich blockbusters. But what if there was a movie that flipped everything upside down? What if there was a superhero movie that used practical effects, was down to earth with its setting and characters, and drew inspiration from detective movies? The Batman answers that question. Matt Reeves, famous for his adaptations of the Planet of the Apes franchise, didn’t want to keep it a secret that he was making this Batman film a detective story first. He openly admitted to drawing inspiration from classic detective films like Chinatown and Seven. After watching The Batman a couple times, the inspiration used from those films is heavily apparent.

The Batman follows a grungy, year two Batman who is still figuring out who he wants to be. As this happens, a serial killer emerges, brutally murdering corrupt political figures in Gotham. With each crime, the killer leaves little clues and riddles for Batman, hence his nickname, “The Riddler”. It’s revealed that he leaves clues because he believes Batman is his ally in de-corrupting Gotham.

The performances, music, and cinematography are what makes this movie different from other Batman films. If there had to be one reason to see this movie, it would have to be the chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Jeffrey Wright and Zoë Kravitz. The relationships that are broken down and built back up are always the best to use in films and Matt Reeves clearly wanted to use those as well. Unlike most on-screen Batman villains, Paul Dano’s performance as the Riddler is able to put up a fair fight with Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight, which in itself is a huge feat.

From start to finish, The Batman is a dark, emotional, fantastic film that makes the audience rethink how to view comic book movies and Batman’s own story. While it’s not the best comic book movie ever, it’s certainly one of the best Batman films.