What Fans Are Loving About The Humor In The Batman
After a long wait, Matt Reeves' "The Batman" has finally hit theaters — and the film has already proven a massive success. The positive critical response to "The Batman" has highlighted many aspects of the film, but one of the most noteworthy elements is that finally, Batman fans have the dark, brooding detective thriller they've been demanding for decades. After all, the character of Batman first premiered in Detective Comics in 1939, and the character is often nicknamed the "World's Greatest Detective," so it's only right that this newest incarnation takes inspiration from both the character's history as well as neo-noir films such as "Chinatown" (via SyFy Wire).
The genre of film noir, true to its name, is known for dark content, with endings that often depict the brutality of the world that the protagonist lives in. This very much describes Matt Reeves' vision of Gotham — an environment that more closely mirrors "Se7en" than the vibe of Christopher Nolan's trilogy. However, in the midst of all this darkness, Reeves also isn't afraid to lighten the mood every now and again. Humor is an important aspect of "The Batman," as it makes the darker parts of the film that much more intense.
And though humor is used sparingly in "The Batman," fans have noticed it, and love the way it's included.
Fans love how subtle the humor of The Batman is
Gotham City in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" is as dark as the Batman (Robert Pattinson) himself. The vigilante stalks his opponents in subway stations and seedy clubs, Gotham's crime-ridden streets are made all the more frightening by the appearance of the Riddler (Paul Dano) and his high-profile murders. However, though the film is as bleak as a superhero movie can be, there are also moments of levity that serve to make the tone more realistic.
Fans have highlighted on Twitter how cleverly the film's dry sense of humor is used to humanize the characters, while never compromising the dark tone. "The subtle humor in The Batman is some are the best I've seen in a comic book film," posted @AlfredMurphy99, noting their belief that future superhero movies should follow this example.
Other fans on Twitter have directly commented on specific examples of humor in the film, with users such as @SketchedBat noting how the movie's villains, such as Riddler and Penguin (Colin Farrell) exhibit a dark sense of humor in their comments on the events of the film. The user also comments on the amusing antics of "the twin," referring to the running gag wherein Batman (or at one point, Bruce Wayne) comes to the door of The Iceberg Lounge and confronts two bouncers working for the Penguin, who are clearly twins. These two men do not want him to enter, but he finds a way, every time.
Many agree that Farrell's depiction of the Penguin is one of the bright moments of the film. "I'm pleasantly surprised by the amount of knowingly humorous images/moments Reeves has included, especially with the Penguin," posted @JohnnySobczak. This aligns well with the comic book version of Cobblepot, known for his witty comments.
The film's sense of humor is very different from the MCU
With every new DC movie comes, there is an inevitable comparison to Marvel's success. Compared to the grittiness and real-world nature of "The Batman," Marvel movies and shows tend to be lighter in tone, and humor is at the forefront of conversations rather than the background.
However, this style of humor wouldn't fit well in a Batman movie, and fans are noticing the difference, particularly when more casual viewers accuse "The Batman" of not having enough jokes. Twitter user @cevangelista413 put it quite succinctly in one post, writing, "Marvel has broken everyone's brain to the point where if a comic book movie doesn't have a constant string of 'So THAT happened!' quips, people think it's some sort of mistake." Twitter user @TheDeLaDoll is in agreement, and responded, "I personally prefer the humor in The Batman to the practically smirking at the camera style of humor in Marvel movies."
Other superhero fans find the comparison reductive. As @thajdikt wrote in response to the Marvel criticism, "Marvel lives rent free in your head. Literally was no reason to mention them here at all. Literally everyone is loving The Batman despite not having 'quips' as you say."
Regardless of any comparisons, "The Batman" doesn't feature any snarky repartee, and the jokes run on the dark side — I.E., the "thumb drive" moment — but fans love that about the film. And as "The Batman" proves, humor in comic book movies doesn't have to be brazen or occur at regular intervals. It can, instead, reflect the title character — who, in this case, is truthful, mysterious, and dark in nature.