The Batman has been named the “Most Obsessively Rewatched” film of 2022 by Letterboxd. The Batman marked the first solo movie for the hero since The Dark Knight Rises, which released a full decade prior. The movie stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with an extremely talented supporting cast that included new versions of iconic heroes and villains from Gotham City’s long comic book history. The star-studded cast was rounded up by Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Colin Farrell as The Penguin and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
Letterboxd has released its yearly review for 2022, revealing that The Batman was the year’s “Most Obsessively Rewatched” film according to the platform’s millions of users. This title shows that, while audiences await for The Batman 2 news, they’re actively going back to the immersive world crafted by director Matt Reeves. The Batman beat the fierce competition of other fan-favorite movies Top Gun: Maverick, Everything Everywhere All at Once and other superhero blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, to be named the most rewatched movie in 2022. Check out the full top 10 below:
Why Audiences Were Drawn To The Batman?
Audiences connected with Reeves’ view of Gotham City and the place Batman has in it. The director’s take was a unique one and was undoubtedly the closest any DC movie has come to recreating the atmosphere of Gotham from the comics. Not even the Batman prequel TV show Gotham could outplay Reeves’ The Batman version of the iconic location. While both projects did a good job of having Gotham be an active player, as much as the characters themselves, The Batman took it to another level, as Pattinson’s Batman lived in a Gotham that felt both claustrophobic and nauseating, with the opening scene of the movie showing how much dread Batman can bring to villains by simply playing into the city’s shadows.
The Batman‘s director, Reeves, was originally sought after by DC to helm what would have been previous extended universe Batman’s, Ben Affleck, solo movie. Around the release of The Batman, Reeves revealed that Affleck’s script for the unmade film felt very much like a James Bond movie, which was the reason he passed on directing. The director’s view for The Batman‘s world relies more on a character study of Bruce Wayne, rather than an action-heavy premise. Pattinson’s younger portrayal of Batman, who’s still figuring out his past and lost himself in his alter ego, presented the perfect opportunity for audiences to venture into a new facet of the Caped Crusader that hadn’t yet been adapted on the big screen.
What To Expect For The Batman 2
The Batman ended with Bruce understanding that he didn’t have to be Gotham’s knight of vengeance anymore, but instead, take the stand as a symbol of hope amidst Gotham’s dark days. That revelation Bruce has at the end of the movie should put the character towards a lighter path on the sequel, possibly allowing for Pattinson to demonstrate his full acting chops by playing the well-known playboy persona Bruce plays up to hide his Batman endeavor’s from the public. The Batman 2 could also introduce Robin, continuing Reeves’ path of representing iconic Batman related characters from the first movie. The lighter side Pattinson’s Bruce is headed in would make it perfect for the billionaire to take young orphan Dick Grayson under his wing come the sequel to The Batman.
Source: Letterboxd