Set in Toronto in 2002, ‘Turning Red’ is an unapologetic, no-holds-barred exploration into the world of a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old named Mei Lee. The narrative leans into the familiar characteristics of her demographic: Mei has a tiger mom, who only wants the best for her, and so Mei is an overachiever with the best grades and full of extra-curricular activities. But she’s also 13, so she and her friends – Miriam, Priya, and Abby – are also infatuated with the boyband 4*Town. At the onset, it looks like every other coming-of-age story of four teens who may be outsiders of the school hierarchy (but not as severe as this is Canada and not America) and have to navigate this awkward part of life. But the story interweaves Asian mysticism and spirituality into the mix for incredible results.
Because Mei’s family, through her mother’s line, has a mystical gift (or curse) that transforms the women of the family into giant red pandas when feeling strong emotions. This becomes the source of all the character growth and comedy for the story.
The story, written and directed by Domee Shi and co-written Julia Cho and Sarah Streicher, is not even coy about how this supernatural transformation is a metaphor for puberty that is centered on the female experience. The mood swings, the rebelliousness, and even the color red are indicators of this apparent symbolism.
And so as Mei has to deal with this transformation happening in her body, she’s beginning to explore the facets of her personality that she didn’t know were there.
In the process, the film explores the Chinese cultural bonds of family that can be very familiar to a lot of the Asian audiences — the expectations and high demands, the controlling, the conservatism – and the vast generational gap of first and second (and even third) generation immigrants to Western countries.
So while ‘Turning Red’ is a supernatural story with Mei Lee transforming into a giant red panda at the funniest moments (and also sometimes at very serious events), the film is grounded by very serious issues about family ties and the generational trauma caused by the gap in morals and values between generations.
And as heavy as these topics might be, ‘Turning Red’ manages to do so in hilarious ways. The four friends’ love of the boyband 4*Town is exactly alike to Generation X’s love for the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync or the new generation’s love for Kpop idols and boy groups. The language and verbal quips of the four friends are masterfully written with some hilarious lines while the tonal shifts of the older members of Mei’s family are clearly different. It’s quite amazing.
And the way with which it captures the frenetic energy of the teenage years and the things they obsess over and think about (that seems so trivial to us now that we are older) is so on point. Director Domee Shi is also quite gifted in being able to shift focus, playing around with the images for wonderful visual comedy, highlighting the film’s verbal wit, and giving moments to really define each character and make them unique.
Each friend is marked by an individual personality, but you can see why this group are friends.
So as much fun as it is to watch Mei navigate the rigors of high school as she has to stop herself from getting triggered from transforming into a giant red panda, what we have in this film is a deep exploration of a vivid world of teenage girls at the brink of change. And the ironic thing is that as precise as this film feels in presenting a world set in 2002, a lot of the issues are still prevalent today.
‘Turning Red’ is funny and charming and relatable and surprising at every turn. It makes really good use of excellent storytelling and lavish visuals to tell a really moving story about generational gaps and coming to terms with your identity.
Pixar does it again.
My Rating:
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Turning Redis now showing in Philippine cinemas. Buy tickets here.
To celebrate National Women’s Month, the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division (CCP FBNMD) will have a special film screening that highlights the different facets, strengths and braveries of Filipino women.
Tagged “Women and the Camera” the featured films are: full-length film “Ronda (Patrol)” by Nick Olanka and short feature “Gutab” by Mary Andrea Palmares, on view starting at 3pm, March 11 until March 18, at the CCP Vimeo Channel.
“Ronda” follows the story of a policewoman, named Paloma, who is torn between the realities of her job and being a mother to a teenage son. Despite her son Leo missing for two days, she continues to patrol around the city every night.
The movie presents a slice of her life as she deals with her regulars — crooks that roam the night and crooks that litter within the police force, characters that test her values and validates her ideals as an enforcer of the law, as a mother, and ultimately as a human being.
Meanwhile, “Gutab centers on two young women, Jo-an and Sabel, who live two different lives in a small provincial town.
Known for winning different local beauty pageants, Jo-an is the epitome of an innocent and beautiful young woman. On the other hand, Sabel is a mat weaver’s daughter who dreams to be free from certain societal constraints. Their last encounter together before Sabel leaves home urges Jo-an to make a life-changing decision.
Members of the CCP Film Society will enjoy the exclusive screening of “Babae” by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo.
The coming-of-age short feature tells about the two women who grow up together in a slum community beside the railroad tracks and become best friends during childhood. They share their dreams during teenage years, and eventually start their own family during adulthood when a child accidentally enters their lives. Real stories of a woman and a woman are added to give color to this black-and-white film.
Watch “Ronda” and “Babae” at vimeo.com/showcase/ccparthousecinema, available worldwide. Info on how to access the CCP Film Society Exclusives for the month of May will be emailed to the members.
For more updates on film-related events, follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media social media accounts.
Directed by Patrick Hughes, it is a sequel to the 2017 film The Hitman’s Bodyguard. It follows suspended bodyguard Michael Bryce who must again team up with hitman Darius Kincaid and his wife to stop a madman from launching a terror attack on Europe. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Frank Grillo, and more.
Directed by Ayako Kōno, it is based on the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novels written by Reki Kawahara. The film focuses on Asuna and her friend Misumi as they find themselves trapped inside the VR death game Sword Art Online. It features the voices of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, and Inori Minase to name a few.
Directed by Domee Shi, the film centers on 13-year-old girl Mei Lee who is torn between being her mother’s obedient daughter and the chaos of youth. One morning, she finds out that whenever she gets too excited or stressed, she “poofs” into a big red panda.
Ambulance takes Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Brokeback Mountain), Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman, The Matrix Resurrections) and Eiza Gonzales (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Baby Driver) across the streets of LA under scorching heat in an intense high-speed, breakneck chase with the authorities after a bank heist turned awfully wrong.
Director-producer Michael Bay helms Ambulance, who is also known for bringing unprecedented cinematic experience with blockbuster films such as Transformers, A Quiet Place and 6 Underground. In his latest movie Ambulance, the filmmaker pits the characters under a series of extreme situations when Gyllenhaal’s character Danny, a career criminal plans the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles’ history. At the same time, Danny’s brother Will, played by Abdul- Mateen II is trying to raise money for his wife’s medical bills and desperately asks Danny as his last resort. Confident of his plan, Danny takes Will to be his designated driver and most trusted ally in what could be the last and most dangerous heist he will take on. Soon enough, with all crew, vehicles and weapons in place, Danny’s team sets out in stealth for the 32-million-dollar bank theft in broad daylight. But unforeseen incidents derail their plan that resulted in an all-out battle of brawn and wits against the police force, the desperate brothers soon encounter an ambulance driven by Cam Thompson (Gonzalez) with a wounded cop. Escaping a massive and merciless hunt from the authorities, Danny and Will execute the craziest of escapes while trying to keep the injured hostage cop safe and alive.
Ambulance’s screenplay is by Chris Fedak (Prodigal Son, Chuck), based on the original story and screenplay for the 2005 Danish thriller Ambulancen by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen.
Eiza González as Camille “Cam” Thompson in Ambulance, directed by Michael Bay.
A Universal Pictures International release, Ambulance runs in Philippine cinemas (nationwide) starting March 16, ahead of US release.
Raise your PAWs up if your kids can’t stop talking about PAW Patrol! Check out the newly released featurette below on how the kids of the voice cast (led by Kim Kardashian, Dax Shepard, Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel) love PAW Patrol: The Movie.
The gripping, inspiring animated adventure from Paramount Pictures opens exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines on March 16.
Kim-Kardashian as Delores
Tyler-Perry as Gus
Jimmy-Kimmel as Marty-Muckracker
The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City!
Joining the PAW Patrol in their thrilling first big screen adventure are members from the original series’ cast along with Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel and introducing Will Brisbin.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment Present A Spin Master Entertainment Production.
Directed by Cal Brunker, screenplay by Billy Frolick and Cal Brunker & Bob Barlen, story by Billy Frolick, based on the television series created by Keith Chapman.
Produced by Jennifer Dodge, p.g.a., Paw Patrol: The Movie is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #PAWPatrolMovie and tag paramountpicsph.
Batman works alone, or does he? Find out in the new trailer of Warner Bros. Pictures’ DC League of Super-Pets which has just been launched by the studio.
Dwayne Johnson stars as the voice of Krypto the Super-Dog in Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated action adventure feature film “DC League of Super-Pets,” from director Jared Stern.
The film also stars the voices of Kevin Hart (the “Jumanji” and “Secret Life of Pets” films), Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live,” “Ferdinand”), John Krasinski (the “Quiet Place” films), Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”), Natasha Lyonne (“Show Dogs”), Diego Luna (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Marc Maron (“Joker”), Thomas Middleditch (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”), Ben Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog”), and Keanu Reeves (the “Matrix” and “John Wick” films).
In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
Stern, a veteran writer/consultant on the “LEGO®” movies, makes his animated feature film directorial debut, directing from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator John Whittington, based on characters from DC, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is produced by Patricia Hicks, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Jared Stern. The executive producers are John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Allison Abbate, Chris Leahy, Sharon Taylor and Courtenay Valenti.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Seven Bucks Production, “DC League of Super-Pets.” The film will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Philippine theaters on May 18, 2022.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #DCSuperPets
Getting back on the job is never as easy as you think… especially with the world’s deadliest assassins on board. Take a ride with Brad Pitt in the first trailer of Columbia Pictures’ new action-thriller Bullet Train, exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines this July 2022.
An original movie event, Bullet Train is a fun, delirious action-thriller from the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch. Brad Pitt headlines an ensemble cast of eclectic, diverse assassins – all with connected yet conflicting objectives – set against the backdrop of a non-stop ride through modern-day Japan.
Directed by David Leitch, screenplay by Zak Olkewicz based upon the book Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka.
The film is produced by Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Antoine Fuqua. The executive producers are Brent O’Connor, Ryosuke Saegusa, Yuma Terada, Kat Samick.
Brad Pitt stars in Bullet Train.
The cast is led by Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio.
In Philippine cinemas 2022, Bullet Train is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #BulletTrainMovie
Filipino talents in Hollywood continue to represent with their world-class craft. This time, Filipino-American Robert Alonzo is making us proud by heading up the team that trained Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz for their fight scenes in Warner Bros. Pictures new epic superhero film, The Batman. He was also responsible for other physical demands required for the film’s massive action sequences.
Robert Alonzo
Pattinson said in an interview that he felt completely prepared for the fight scenes thanks to the weeks of prep with Alonzo, stating, “Rob has a great style. You learn certain signature moves, which you can build into different patterns really quickly.”
“Rob Alonzo and his whole team are just incredible people,” said Kravitz, who has known Alonzo for most of her life, ever since he taught her Tae kwon do when she was just seven. “He was really concerned about everything feeling grounded and being motivated by emotion and that’s really great.”
Alonzo is a Hollywood veteran with 25 years of diversified skill-set and international resume as a Stunt Performer, Fight Choreographer, Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director. His Second Unit directing credits include “Oblivion,” “Tomorrowland,” “Deadpool,” “Bright” and “Alpha.” He also helped design the action scenes in the animated film, “Incredibles 2.” In the following interview, Alonzo talks about working with Pattinson, Kravitz and director Matt Reeves, while giving us a glimpse of his Filipino heritage.
Question: How did you land the dual roles of Supervising Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director for “The Batman”?
Robert Alonzo: I landed the dual roles of Supervising Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director when I was called by Dylan Clark, who I had worked with previously on “Oblivion” starring Tom Cruise. On “Oblivion” I also served as the Supervising Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director. Dylan and I had previous experience working together so he called me to team up again, this time with himself and Matt Reeves. Matt and I then hopped on the phone to discuss the project and we both hit it off creatively. He said that he wanted a raw, grounded and visceral approach to this iteration of Batman. I then said that although I am able to design action for various different types of genres (sci-fi, thriller, comedy, western, fantasy, superhero, etc), I gravitate most to designing and executing action that is based on reality and abides by the laws of physics that we as humans clearly understand. Matt’s version of Batman is also the version of Batman that I wanted to see most as a fan of the franchise. His take was so interesting… It was a great match and I’m so grateful that Matt and Dylan believed in me and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this team!
Q: How did you design the action to execute Matt Reeves’ vision?
RA: Matt’s vision was to have the action raw and real so that the audience feels every punch, kick, fall, hit, and crash through the emotion of the characters, whether they are enduring extreme amounts of pain or experiencing pleasure and satisfaction while doling it out. With that, I studied each character and their respective journeys throughout the story so that we can design movement based not only on their physical attributes, but also on the emotional state for each specific moment. Every move had an objective and we strayed away from inefficient action that was “action for the sake of action”. By taking into account each of the varying character personalities, it helped me design distinct styles of action per character for their fighting, driving/riding, and improvisational adaptability to the moment as well as the environment. This way Batman’s objective can remain clearly distinct from the objectives of Catwoman, Penguin, and the Riddler. This meant that I also had to train the cast in their respective styles of fighting. For example, the goal of fight training with Rob Pattinson was to allow the jeopardy to come in much closer than he’s used to in order to eliminate anticipatory movement and heighten his close proximity reactivity. With this as a primary goal, we trained him in FMA – Escrima/Kali/Arnis, Penjak Silat, Muay Thai, JKD, Boxing, and Kickboxing. For Rob, we avoided kicking and used more hammer fists, elbows and knees, while also drilling with sticks that would later enable him not only to improve his reaction time in closer pockets of engagement, but also to pick up anything and use it as a weapon. In contrast to this, the character of Selina Kyle/Catwoman felt like she kept everyone at a purposeful distance and was always beguiling in her personality. With that as an overall character focus, we complemented her physicality by training Zoe Kravitz in the styles of TKD, Hapkido, Capoeira, Boxing, Savate, and Muay Thai. Her style was focused more on speed, agility, footwork, feinting, and evasive movement because it requires her comfort level to be much more distance oriented.
Q: How was Matt Reeves as a collaborator?
RA: Matt is fantastic to work with! He cares so much about each character, each moment, each frame. His attention to detail is amazing and he always pushed towards creating a very real world where the audience can believe that Gotham and it’s characters actually exist. Every time we would review a stunt or action sequence, we would always discuss the emotional perspectives of each character to keep everything grounded for each individual character in each specific moment. It’s so rewarding working this way because we were always striving for the consistency of authentic character emotion while matching it with their respective character physicality. It was such a wonderfully challenging experience!
Q: What’s it like working with Robert Pattinson?
RA: Working with Rob was such a fun experience! He came in and fully committed to the approach. He was a sponge and wanted to learn everything from a place of developing and understanding his own character. He was very interested in “why” he would do things rather than simply learning choreographed moves without understanding the purpose. This desire helped me focus Rob’s training on learning real world-practical technique, and we focused a lot on the strategic side of fighting in order for him to learn the advantages and disadvantages of being in an attacking, defensive, or neutral position. We discussed the pros and cons of each position so that he can understand things from an applied methodology rather than a more surfaced approach focused on aesthetic form. He loved it… And so did I! As a former martial arts instructor, I’ve always had a passion to develop training programs for actors with this approach. And it has always been my hope that the actors I train would continue to pursue some type of training on their own beyond the film. I always believe that if you practice with a passion, you will always have the passion to practice. And Rob definitely exhibited these traits. It was such a rewarding experience.
Q: We heard that Zoe Kravitz practically knows you all her life, ever since you taught her Tae kwon do at age 7. What is that dynamic like? Having been her teacher back then, and now designing action scenes for her?
RA: Yes, it’s true! I’ve known Zoe for such a long time. She was one of my students that took regular group classes and also did private lessons with me on a regular basis. She was really good and was so driven and focused, even at such a young age, when I noticed a lot of kids were so easily distracted. I recall the moment she first came into the dojo with her dad holding her hand. I found it hard to contain my excitement at the time because I am a huge fan of Lenny Kravitz. Let Love Rule is still one of my favorite albums of all time! But I remember pulling myself together as I looked at the little rocker girl by his side. I noticed that Zoe already had a presence back then. And it was once she stepped on the mat with her uniform on and I saw her doing drills and forms that I realized how special she was going to be. I remember saying to my fellow instructors back then, “watch out for that one…she is going to be a force when she gets older.” And it came true! So when I finally heard the news that she was cast as the iconic Selina Kyle, I was super excited! Then when she showed up to our first training session, we hugged it out and took a stroll down memory lane with an already an established level of comfort and trust. She even texted me a picture of us back then that her mom took of us in class together. It brought back some pretty cool memories.
I’ve trained actors before, but I’ve never trained an actor that used to be my student. It was something I’ve never experienced. And once we began training it was electric hearing the gunshot smack on the mits and pads, feeling the power of her kicks and punches once again. But this time her focus and intensity had elevated to a whole other level as she quickly recalled her understanding of the practicality and strategy of the movement. It was so great because it felt like we were picking up right where we left off. However, the challenge ahead of us was that we had to train in more complex movement that reflected her character throughline. In some instances, it was movement that she had never done before. But as she did when she was younger, she picked up quick… It was so gratifying seeing all that training from when she was younger come full circle. Designing her sequences was one of my favorite parts of this journey because it was very challenging to make sure her movement was strong and fierce, while maintaining the power in her femininity. We talked a lot about that and it helped that we were on the same page with her intentions from moment to moment. It was such a great experience directing her action scenes because I knew how to tap in and get the best out of her performance because of the comfort level that was established over 20 years ago. I can’t wait to see all her hard work on the big screen and what she does with this character in the future. It will definitely be something special!
Q: Where is your family’s roots in the Philippines?
RA: My mother and father were both born and raised in the Philippines. I believe my father was from Cagayan while my mother was from Tarlac. They both spoke Tagalog and my dad also speaks Ilocano. My brother was born in Baguio and I was born in Manila, but we were both raised in the US, having lived in San Francisco for 5 years until my parents finally settled down in Los Angeles. Unfortunately though, My brother and I were never taught to speak in Tagalog or Illocano. One thing I wished I would have learned growing up.
Q: When was the last time you visited? Where did you go and how was your stay?
RA: The last time I visited the Philippines, I think I was 13 or 14. I went to Manila and Cagayan and spent two months there when I went, but I haven’t been back since. I’ve always wanted to go back and even had an opportunity to work there on “The Bourne Legacy” when Jeremy Renner asked me to go because he wanted to fight me on screen! We became friends when we trained together for “Mission Impossible 4.” He loved to train and we worked out together almost everyday. I would have loved that opportunity to go back, but I already had committed to working on “Jack Reacher” with Tom Cruise so that never panned out. Hopefully one day, I’ll be able to go back and learn more about the islands, people and heritage that I’m so proud to be apart of.
Q: We heard that your next goal is to step up into directing and writing your own films. What stories would you like to bring to the screen? Which genre are you drawn to?
RA: Yes, making that next step into the director’s chair has always been the goal. But for me, it is so important to find the right project with the right people once I make that jump. So on the road to taking that next step, I relish any opportunity to collaborate and learn from all the great filmmakers out there. I’m so grateful for all the knowledge that has made me the filmmaker I am today and plan to utilize all the tricks I’ve picked up along the way once the right directing opportunity presents itself. I hope to start my directing career in the action genre because that is what I’m most comfortable with, but I look forward to a time when I would get the opportunity to potentially direct a crime thriller, a historical biopic, and even an animated feature since that has been my first artistic passion since I was 6 years old drawing flip pages. I was even fortunate enough to work on Incredibles 2, which was an unforgettable experience working at Pixar with Brad Bird and the rest of that team. It was a satisfying feeling to know that the filmmaking tools I learned in my college animation classes were very much applied on some of the biggest features out there. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to command the emotions of an audience as a director in the same way the auteurs I have worked with have done it so brilliantly in the past. Fingers crossed, my time is coming soon!
“The Batman” is now showing in cinemas across the Philippines.
The cinema operator is excited to welcome back movie fans of ClickTheCity, as they are now available again for online ticketing for all of the cinemas across the Philippines.
RMW has been a pioneer partner of ClickTheCity for the website’s Ticketing Service since 2015, allowing everyone to purchase movie tickets from one of the country’s largest cinema operators. ClicktheCity’s Ticketing Service is available on the ClickTheCity App for Android and iOS, and is also on the website, ClickTheCity.com.
Through ClickTheCity’s Ticketing Service, you can enjoy a safer cinema experience even before leaving your homes by booking and paying for your movie tickets right at the palm of their hands — contactless and cashless, making it more convenient, safe, and comfortable.
Planning movie nights at a cinema near you is now much easier with ClickTheCity: browse our movie listings and films reviews of new and upcoming releases, and buy your tickets in advance, all in one app!
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We’ve seen so many iterations of Batman from the whimsical reimagining of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton to Joel Schumacher’s campy run with Val Kilmer in ‘Batman Forever’ and George Clooney in ‘Batman and Robin.’ Christopher Nolan then changed the way we approached superhero movies with his grounded take on the character with Christian Bale, which gave us a defining Joker through Heath Ledger and then Ben Affleck put on the mantle in Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League.’ And that’s not to mention the animated series, the animated movies, and the appearances on television shows.
So, honestly, what more can be said about the orphan who has taken to fighting crime wearing a suit fashioned like a bat after his billionaire parents were killed in the streets of the tough-as-nails city of Gotham?
Matt Reeves, a director whose work on the prequels to the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise is quite impressive, decides to venture into one of Batman’s original modes, which was that of a detective.
What Reeves manages to give us is a completely new and original cinematic imagining of Batman. No more origin story – what for? We all know it – but instead of the confident master of vigilante crime-fighting, we see Bruce Wayne, who has only been Batman for two years. He is not infallible. He gets hit. He makes mistakes. He is making things up as he goes along.
His suit is clunky and heavy, built to withstand punches, knife attacks, and even bullets. In fact, there’s a lo-fi quality to technology in this film (except for some very cool contact lenses that play an important part in the story) that makes this film feel almost like a period film for superhero movies. There’s not even a cellphone in sight.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
And with this setting, we are introduced to a broken Bruce Wayne, played with great sensitivity by Robert Pattinson, who also manages to shift to his Batman persona when he wears the mask. But even that shift is tenuous. After all, he’s new at this.
The world is a neo-noir epic, complete with the protagonist’s introspective narration, a femme fatale in the form of Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and a grimy, evil city and the monstrous side of human nature that exists there.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
A lot of The Batman reminds me of David Fincher’s ‘Seven,’ where it is about solving a puzzle posed by Paul Dano’s Riddler. Murders are happening and it’s leading towards a great big reveal that positions this film not so much as a hero versus villain story but as a story about society’s deterioration.
Director Matt Reeves and co-scriptwriter Peter Craig do not shy away from the very contemporary discussion about Wayne’s ability to help people more with his money than as a caped crusader. That’s actually touched upon and handled with the character’s internal logic in place. While crime is perpetrated by the criminally insane, evil is found somewhere deeper and systemic.
It’s that aspect of ‘The Batman’ that feels so refreshing and invigorating. The focus is not on the extraordinary feats of Batman to stop an extraordinary crime but the realisation of what is really needed to combat corruption and social ills.
So while the film is dark (both lighting-wise and tonally) and gritty, it also gives us fantastic imagery, some really good character work by Pattinson, Kravitz, Dano, and John Turturro as the mob boss Carmine Falcone, and a completely new approach to the character.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
My only reservation is the big finale that felt much bigger than it needed to be. The last big action setup felt like it’s from a different film altogether. Throughout the film’s 176-minute runtime, it gives us good old fashion noir with a twist, introspective character development, and dynamic relationships, and then it ends with a large battle sequence that felt more like it belonged in a different movie. It appeared like it was put there to please any comic book movie fans, who may have felt that they didn’t get enough comic book action.
But that’s a matter of taste. All in all, it was a thrilling ride that kept me on my toes. Kravitz is phenomenal and her chemistry with Pattinson was electric. I didn’t even notice how much time had passed.
In a world like ours that needs heroes, it’s good to have movies that give us an escapist fantasy at times just to feel light and good about ourselves. But it’s also good to have an alternative: superhero movies that show us that evil is not just one person with a skewed sense of the world. That the evil is systemic and that punching your way out will not get the job done.
My Rating:
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The Batmanwill open in Philippine cinemas on Wednesday, March 2 (two days ahead of the US release date of March 4).Book your tickets here.
