DC FanDome blessed fans with the first trailer for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and many of us are still enamored with what we saw. As you would imagine, many have likely watched the trailer more than they’d care to admit by this point. This includes book superfan Kevin Smith, who screened it multiple times over the weekend. With this, the writer/director has shared his thoughts on the brutally cool footage.
Kevin Smith has proven to be a very passionate fan of the superhero genre and has never minced words when talking about projects. However, being the optimist that he is, it should come as no surprise that he had positive thoughts on The Batman’s first trailer. But as he explained, the footage appealed to him for a few specific reasons:
This trailer was impressive. I was always going to be curious about what they did with The Batman of course. And I was on board regardless. But fuck man. This is like the Batman movie we dreamed about as kids. Like, could you imagine if somebody treated it super fucking seriously? Eric Carrasco pointed it out, like, ‘This looks like Greg Rucka Batman.’ Like, the one that feels rooted hardcore in reality but still had room for the fantasy elements of crime in Gotham.
Smith, who rewatched the trailer numerous times to spot Colin Farrell’s Penguin, made some pretty astute observations while breaking things down with Marc Bernardin on Fatman Beyond. From what we’ve seen of The Batman so far, it exudes an aesthetic that audiences have yet to see in any of the Dark Knight’s other big-screen ventures. Of course, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy took a more grounded approach to the character but, at first glance, Reeves’ world feels a bit more lived in.
Matt Reeves’ interpretation also stands out from others because it includes a younger Batman who’s only in his second year of crimefighting. Based on the massive beatdown he gives one thug in the trailer, this “Year Two” Batman is still pretty raw and has yet to refine his tendencies as a crimefighter:
And a younger Batman also means early versions of classic villains. Catwoman and Riddler’s appearances would definitely indicate that they are still in their infancy as some of Gotham’s most notorious rogues. It’ll be exciting to see their encounters with Robert Pattinson’s Batman over the course of the film.
It’s hard to argue with Kevin Smith’s sentiments on the trailer, as it’s certainly gotten many of us excited. What’s even more amazing is that only 25% of the movie was shot before the global health crisis caused production to shut down. So you can bet that there are still plenty of amazing scenes to be shot once filming restarts.
The Batman is scheduled to hit theaters on October 1, 2021.
