When I saw all the memes and reviews of the new Batman movie, The Batman, I knew I had to see it for myself. I really enjoy the Dark Knight trilogy starring Christain Bale, and my twelve-year-old self was basically in love with Robert Pattinson. So seeing this new movie was not really a choice, but a must.

I did, however, go into the movie with low expectations. I’d seen mixed reviews and a lot of memes, and I did not want to end up disappointed. The movie is three hours long so I was really praying I wouldn’t be bored.

The beginning of the movie is immediately captivating. I will say, it’s a little confusing because I assumed that they would start the movie with the murder of the Waynes, but that did not happen. Instead some other rich people die. But once you figure out the time frame, it’s way less confusing. The intro is also really cool because it introduces Gotham City and Batman at the same time and really sets the stage for the rest of the movie.

The villain in this particular movie is the Riddler which is really refreshing to see a different bad guy than the Joker. The Riddler was really appealing since it was portrayed as a Zodiac Killer type. Paul Dano did an amazing job at playing a crazed psychopath desperate for the attention of Batman.

Some say that the movie goes on for too long and that the ending was drawn out but I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of building a city back up from the ground. It drives me crazy when superhero movies end with “we saved the day!” but the empire state building or something is completely destroyed and thousands of people died when a bridge broke in half.

It was also interesting to see a consistent portrayal of Batman, but a very different portrayal of Bruce Wayne. In my mind, I imagine Mr. Wayne as a playboy type, a good way to conceal the broody alter ego. But Bruce Wayne in the new Batman was just as broody as Batman, which honestly makes sense given the creepy mansion he lives in and the whole orphan thing.

In terms of the other characters, I was pleasantly surprised. Catwoman was actually a three dimensional character. For this movie, she had a whole backstory and real human emotions. Plus her suit was visually appealing but it wasn’t anymore skin-tight than Batman’s costume.

Alfred and Commissioner Gordon were also well cast but managed to be unique. Both actors did an amazing job for their characters.

The last thing I have to say is that there were some amazing scenes that I loved. Without spoiling anything, the best scenes were the fiery car chase, the fight scenes, the goodbye at the end of the movie, and the “Ave Maria” song from the Riddler.

Anyway, 10/10, go see this movie.