The Batman initial critic reception before it reached the general audience was astoundingly positive, even at one point garnering a 96% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes. However, after the film’s public release, it has been accused of being woke in a way that rubbed some audience members the wrong way.
The latest installment of Batman features Robert Pattinson as the new caped crusader and Zoey Kravitz donning the new Catwomen cowl. The Batman is a superhero film first, but its themes and subject matter mirror reality. This same formula is what made Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy so popular as it grounded the character in a way that audience could directly relate to their own lives. I mentioned the Dark Knight Trilogy not solely because of its role as a predecessor but because of Christian Bale’s role in another cult classic film that seeks to explore the same themes as The Batman through a different lens, American Psycho.
What Are The Similarities Between The Batman and American Psycho?
Both American Psycho and The Batman explore similar themes of greed, violence, vices, materialism, and consumption. In American Psycho, it can be seen in Patrick Bateman’s character as he is overcome by his desires and is constantly taking out his frustration on others, primarily women. This film served as an metaphor for the hedonism and fragile masculinity shown in this social circle and the unchecked power those in Bateman’s position have over the less fortunate. Time and time again, Bateman gets away with his misdeeds, eventually driving himself to the point of wanting to be caught. The Batman handles these same themes and is shown in characters like the Penguin, Carmine Falcon, and Commissioner Pete Savage. All three men were portrayed by White actors and showed the same unchecked power and privilege that they had over others. Throughout the film you are shown the atrocities of their misdeeds via the Riddler as he airs their dirty laundry to the city. Like American Psycho, The Batman outwardly indicates the implication of the men’s hedonism and fragile masculinity and their effects on others.
How Are Both Films Looked At By Audiences?
Even though both explore the same themes, although, through different avenues, American Psycho is praised for its exploration, while The Batman has been ridiculed for its take. A select few may hide in the fact that American Psycho has no rule of law, order, or justice for the crimes of evil. However, there is no room for ambiguity in The Batman as Batman quite literally stands for justice. There is no way to hide from the fact that what Carmine Falcon did to Selina’s friend Anikka and the reporter he killed for Thomas Wayne was wrong. However, justice was served as Batman physically detains and brings him to the police. Unfortunately, this does not translate to movies like American Psycho and its social critiques. The critiques are lost on many audience members as there is no Batman to bring Patrick Bateman in. If anything, the character has become more beloved in recent years for his narcissism and glamorous lifestyle. Subsequently, the directors‘ original intentions have fallen on deaf ears.
How Does The Batman Tackle White Privilege?
The Batman directly confronts the issue that White men in power are pillaging the city for all its worth. Zoey Kravitz’s Catwoman even mentions the ‘white privilege’ these men have and the justice that should be upheld for their crimes. Again, this unchecked power and use of white privilege can be seen in the real world as well. Kravitz knows this firsthand as she auditioned for Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins but was turned down by the casting director as she was deemed too “urban” and “didn’t have the right look for a role“. This is not surprising as that film had an overwhelming lack of racial diversity.
How Can We Start Thinking Critically?
In conclusion, Batman is a character whose stories always have served as a critique of real life. That is the exact reason why The Dark Knight and American Psycho, to an extent, have found such critical success many years later. The Batman follows the same formula and pushes it further, even having a BIPOC female lead bring up these social critiques. Batman stories always have and will always be social critiques, so to critique the film for being too woke is to upstand an unjust social ecosystem, which was never the point.
