The Batman Scene That Had Fans Surprisingly Teary-Eyed
This article contains spoilers for "The Batman"
To kick off a Batman-heavy year — one that will see beloved actors Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton return to their respective versions of the character in "The Flash" –, director Matt Reeves' "The Batman" has finally arrived on the silver screen. This film stands outside of the established DC Extended Universe and introduces moviegoers to a brand new take on Gotham City. Like just about all others, though, crime and corruption run rampant, so this relatively inexperienced Batman (Robert Pattinson) certainly has his hands full as he continues on his quest for vengeance.
By the beginning of "The Batman," the titular vigilante only has roughly two years of crime-fighting under his belt, thus implying that he hasn't faced many serious threats outside of muggers and robbers. So, when a mysterious and meticulous villain known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) begins spreading fear among the people of Gotham, he has to rise to the occasion. With the Gotham City Police Department, chiefly Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), at his side, he gets to work trying to figure out the masked menace's true motives and eventually bring his reign of terror to an end.
At its core, "The Batman" is a detective story, but that's not to say that it's all film noir all the time. It boasts plenty of action, suspense, the odd twinge of comedy, and even some drama now and again. In fact, one particular scene left many of those who've seen it with tears in their eyes. Here's how the moment went down and why it got some people so emotional, according to those folks themselves.
Batman's closing monologue got people teary-eyed
After sending the Riddler to Arkham State Hospital, defeating his armed goons, and preventing their massacre of innocents at Gotham Square Garden, Batman becomes a vital part of Gotham's cleanup efforts. As we see him rescue civilians from the wreckage and guide them through the flooded streets, we hear him deliver a voice-over monologue about how the experience has changed him. For the first time, he realizes how he has positively affected Gotham and its population and that his existence as the Batman isn't for nothing. He's aware his internal scars will never heal, but he understands the merit in using them to endure.
Redditor Chronos2016 flat-out admitted that Batman's words made them tear up, and as it turns out, they weren't the only person that felt this way about the scene. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one who teared up as well," wrote Hutcho1424, and MashedPotatoLogic commented, "Major goosebumps here." Picking out a specific line from the speech, enchantedcookiess replied, "Same, the quote 'this city is angry and scarred, like me' is what did it. Best Batman." Though not clarifying whether or not they shed tears, FigureFourFalafel noted that the moment hit them hard when they saw it. Honestly, can you blame any of them?
Batman's tear-jerking scene works thanks to multiple factors
Batman's closing monologue is an undeniably powerful scene that marks an important turning point for the character. He's well on his way to becoming a genuine hero, leaving his persona as a dark, terrifying enigma in the dust. To pull off this crucial moment in just the right way and make "The Batman" viewers get out the tissues, a handful of elements came together in perfect harmony, as others in Chronos2016's Reddit thread pointed out.
"Robert was fantastic, the emotions he showed through his eyes alone were amazing," said ketodude89, giving Robert Pattinson credit for his facial acting not only in this scene but in the film as a whole. Reddit user Djarin94 agreed and cited his expressions during Batman's meeting with Riddler at Arkham as particularly impressive. OptimisticFloridaFan brought up how "The Batman" and Pattinson's performance focused on the humanity of the character, and both were better for it, commenting, "Despite all the darkness in Bruce, he still is empathic and cares deeply about human life."
Performances aside, both composer Michael Giacchino and legendary grunge band Nirvana received plenty of recognition for their musical contributions to the moment. Redditor vengeance22 wrote, "the way 'something in the way' fades out to a faint background with the orchestra coming over, brings goosebumps to my arms just thinking about it," and Fabreezey157 added, "The choice to use a real song was great it kinda showed Batman's development and how much he's changed."
Additionally, EpicChiguire tossed some credit to the writing duo of Matt Reeves and Peter Craig by saying, "I love the writing on this film so much." Given how responsive people have been to this specific moment as well as the entire film around it, suffice to say they deserve the appreciation they've gotten and then some.