“The city is beyond saving,” narrates the self-proclaimed nocturnal animal as he zooms down an empty street in Gotham City on his motorcycle. “But I’m trying.” This line comes not even twenty minutes into “The Batman,” but it’s immediately clear that it’s one of the rare comic book films that’s really trying amidst a landscape of conveyor belt blockbusters. As daunting as its two hour and forty seven minute runtime may seem, Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight is an effortlessly slick filmmaking concoction that honors the world’s greatest detective in one of the most formally impressive live-action adaptations of the character.

In many ways, the film is just another step forward in the progression of comic book films becoming even more “gritty” and “serious,” but it feels odd to make such a comparison since “The Batman” rarely feels like it’s part of a larger universe or even a comic book film, and that’s part of what makes it so satisfying. You can recognize the influences channeled by each actor and Reeves’ screenplay—Kurt Cobain, the Zodiac killer, Michael Corleone, the films of David Fincher and the “Saw” franchise to name a few—but it’s their blend that results in a consistently delightful and fresh final product.

The mystery looming over Gotham City in question is centered around The Riddler (Paul Dano), a serial killer who, in the film’s terrific opening scene, murders the city’s mayor. This sets off a domino chain of events that leads Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) and Commissioner James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) down a rabbit hole of criminal enterprise and corruption, and with each cryptic puzzle that brings Batman and The Riddler closer together, more secrets get revealed about both Gotham’s history and the future that The Riddler has in store for the metropolis.

The first thing worth mentioning about “The Batman” is its portrayal of Gotham. Say what you will about “The Dark Knight,” but that film’s city is undeniably generic and visually indistinguishable from, say, Chicago. Here, every inch of Gotham feels like a real, breathing environment; as if the Gothic architecture of Liverpool and the perpetual rainfall aren’t an instant enhancement of the mood, the world that production designer James Chinlund creates is transformative. The Iceberg Lounge isn’t a luxurious nightclub but instead a claustrophobic, strobe-lit rave; the Batmobile isn’t a literal tank but instead a sleek, relentless muscle car; the Batcave isn’t an ultramodern wonder but instead an abandoned train station left to rot beneath Wayne Tower—it’s a wondrous, alluring setting, but one that always feels grounded.

On top of that, it’s just gorgeously photographed by cinematographer Greig Fraser—who between this and his (hopefully Oscar-winning) work on “Dune” has been having a pretty good year. The whole film is bathed in grainy shadows and muted, underlit colors, and there are plenty of sequences with enough formal flourish to fill three MCU films—a fight in a pitch-black hallway lit entirely by muzzle flashes is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s somehow even more impressive when you take into account the sparingly used and/or seamlessly integrated CGI, which lends to the realism and physicality of the action. In terms of the look and feel of this film and its Gotham, this is the closest we’ve gotten to a film adaptation of Rocksteady’s Arkham video game trilogy, and, as a massive fan of those games, I immediately clicked with it.

“The Batman” also takes a risky page from the Arkham games in that it sidesteps being an action-packed thriller and instead spends most of its runtime on people standing around and analyzing crime scenes and riddles. This will undoubtedly turn off some moviegoers seeking a barrage of set pieces, but the slow burn that it favors only makes the moments where we see the Bat in action more awesome. Even if this method being applied to such a sizable runtime results in a few sections in the middle third of the film feeling slow, it never once loses its focus, which is mostly—and rightfully—placed on its ensemble cast. Every single actor is doing something incredible here, whether it be Paul Dano’s equally comic and terrifying Riddler, Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon or an unrecognizably hilarious Colin Farell as The Penguin, and I bet that the nearly 7,000 people who signed a petition saying that Robert Pattinson shouldn’t be cast Batman back in 2019 feel especially stupid. I can’t imagine anyone else tackling this filthy, freaky and reclusive portrayal of the caped crusader, mainly because it goes against the charismatic image we often associate with the character, but Pattinson sells it with ease—my favorite scene of the whole film comes the morning after Bruce uses Selina to gather intel and he obsessively, voyeuristically rewatches a clip of her in a bathroom mirror. And speaking of Selina Kyle, Zoë Kravitz is just as deserving of praise in her role opposite Pattinson. As if her mere on-screen presence isn’t devastating enough, her character and the nearly erotic dynamic she shares with Bruce is probably the most compelling thing about “The Batman.”

It’s unsurprising that plans for a new trilogy and spin-off series centered around The Penguin and Arkham Asylum are already in action, but it feels pretty incredible to watch a major comic book film and feel like you’re watching a singular work, even if it is just for now. Regardless, “The Batman” is stupendously entertaining fare, and you bet I’ll be there on opening night for the next two of these.

Overall rating: 95/100