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Three hosts of the 3 Guys and a Flick movie review podcast with movie-themed background.
🎙 Podcast Episode 52

The Batman

Join the Guys as they review Matt Reeves’ 2022 neo-noir superhero crime thriller starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell, where Gotham’s newest version of the Dark Knight follows a trail of riddles, corruption, murder, and vengeance through a city drowning in secrets.

Release Date March 4, 2022
Runtime 176 minutes
Director Matt Reeves
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3 Guys and a Flick — Episode 52

The Batman (2022)

ⓘ Details

Movie TitleThe Batman
Release DateMarch 4, 2022 in the United States
TaglineUnmask the truth.
Runtime176 minutes / 2 hours 56 minutes
DirectorMatt Reeves
Screenplay Written ByMatt Reeves and Peter Craig
Based OnBatman characters created for DC by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Is It a Remake?No. It is a new standalone reboot of the Batman film franchise.
BudgetApproximately $185 million to $200 million
Box OfficeApprox. $369.3 million domestic / approx. $772.3 million worldwide
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👥 Main Cast

Robert PattinsonBruce Wayne / The Batman
Zoë KravitzSelina Kyle / Catwoman
Paul DanoEdward Nashton / The Riddler
Jeffrey WrightLieutenant James Gordon
John TurturroCarmine Falcone
Peter SarsgaardDistrict Attorney Gil Colson
Andy SerkisAlfred Pennyworth
Colin FarrellOz / The Penguin
Jayme LawsonBella Reál
Gil Perez-AbrahamOfficer Martinez
Peter McDonaldKenzie
Con O’NeillChief Mackenzie Bock
Alex FernsCommissioner Pete Savage
Rupert Penry-JonesMayor Don Mitchell Jr.
Barry KeoghanUnseen Arkham Prisoner
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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Sound
⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Makeup and Hairstyling
⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Visual Effects
⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Cinematography, Greig Fraser
⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Makeup and Hair
⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Special Visual Effects
⭐ Critics Choice Super Awards Winner — Best Superhero Movie
⭐ Saturn Award recognition and multiple genre-award nominations for its performances, direction, music, and superhero crime-film approach.
⭐ No Golden Globe nominations were verified for the film.
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📖 Short Plot Summary

Two years into his war on crime, Bruce Wayne is still more symbol of fear than fully formed hero. When a masked killer called the Riddler begins murdering Gotham’s political elite and leaving puzzles addressed to Batman, Bruce and Lieutenant Gordon uncover a network of corruption tied to the Wayne family legacy, Carmine Falcone, the city’s renewal fund, and Gotham’s broken institutions. As Selina Kyle searches for her missing friend and her own answers, Batman must confront the difference between vengeance and hope before Riddler’s final plan drowns the city in chaos.
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❝ Key Quotes

“I’m vengeance.” — Batman
“Fear is a tool.” — Batman
“You’re a part of this too.” — The Riddler
“What have you done?” — Batman
“Maybe we’re not so different.” — Selina Kyle
“A hero can be anyone.” — Batman’s arc in action
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💡 Trivia

Director

  • The Batman was directed by Matt Reeves.
  • Reeves co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig.
  • The film reimagines Batman as the lead of a detective-driven noir thriller rather than a traditional origin story.
  • Reeves focused on a younger Bruce Wayne who is already Batman but still learning what Gotham actually needs from him.
  • The movie launched Reeves’ separate Batman continuity, later expanded through the HBO series The Penguin.

Cast / Casting

  • Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman.
  • Zoë Kravitz plays Selina Kyle / Catwoman, giving the story a noir partner and moral counterweight to Batman.
  • Paul Dano plays the Riddler as a serial killer and online radical rather than a brightly colored prankster.
  • Colin Farrell underwent a major physical transformation to play Oz / The Penguin.
  • Barry Keoghan appears briefly as an unnamed Arkham prisoner, setting up possible future chaos in Gotham.

Soundtrack / Score

  • Michael Giacchino composed the film’s score.
  • Giacchino’s Batman theme is built around a heavy, repeating motif that feels both heroic and obsessive.
  • Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” is used in the film and helped define the movie’s brooding tone.
  • Schubert’s “Ave Maria” is also featured prominently, connecting the Riddler’s childhood trauma and murders to the film’s haunting soundscape.
  • The score supports the movie’s mix of gothic superhero imagery, detective noir, horror tension, and emotional melancholy.

Location

  • The story is set in Gotham City.
  • Filming took place across the United Kingdom, including England and Scotland.
  • Notable filming locations included Liverpool, Glasgow, London, and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.
  • St. George’s Hall in Liverpool and Glasgow’s Necropolis helped give Gotham its gothic, decaying, old-city feel.
  • The film’s version of Gotham feels like rain-soaked noir, urban rot, and comic-book architecture all fused together.

Behind-The-Scenes

  • The film was produced by Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark.
  • Production began in 2020 but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic before resuming and completing in 2021.
  • Cinematographer Greig Fraser shot the film with a dark, textured, high-contrast look that helped define its detective-noir identity.
  • Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft virtual production technology was used for select shots.
  • The film was released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 4, 2022.
  • Box Office Mojo lists the worldwide gross at approximately $772.2 million.

Nostalgia

  • The Batman pulls from decades of Batman comics, noir detective stories, serial-killer thrillers, and gothic crime cinema.
  • The film’s detective angle reminded many fans that Batman is not just a fighter, but “the world’s greatest detective.”
  • Its rainy Gotham, corrupt officials, club underworld, and obsessive villain give the movie a stronger crime-thriller flavor than many earlier Batman films.
  • For fans of darker Batman stories, the film scratches a similar itch to comics like Year One, The Long Halloween, and Ego, while still doing its own thing.

Easter Eggs

  • Batman’s opening narration and detective work nod to the character’s comic-book roots as a noir crimefighter.
  • The Riddler’s ciphers and clues turn Gotham into a puzzle box that Batman has to solve piece by piece.
  • The Iceberg Lounge introduces the criminal nightlife world connected to the Penguin and Carmine Falcone.
  • The film’s final shift from “I’m vengeance” to protector of Gotham reframes Batman’s mission from punishment to hope.
  • The Arkham prisoner scene teases another infamous Gotham villain without naming him outright in the film’s main story.

Misc.

  • The Batman is rated PG-13.
  • The movie runs 176 minutes, making it one of the longest theatrical Batman films.
  • It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Sound, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Visual Effects.
  • The film grossed more than $772 million worldwide and became one of the biggest theatrical releases of 2022.
  • Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists The Batman as Episode 52, with Don rating it 4.00, Ken rating it 4.00, Jon rating it 4.00, and an overall rating of 4.00.
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🔗 Sources Cited

3 Guys and a Flick — Episode 52: The Batman 3 Guys and a Flick — Ratings IMDb — The Batman IMDb — Full Cast & Crew IMDb — Awards IMDb — Quotes IMDb — Taglines IMDb — Soundtrack IMDb — Filming Locations IMDb — Trivia Box Office Mojo — The Batman Box Office Mojo — Release Details The Numbers — The Batman Rotten Tomatoes — The Batman Metacritic — The Batman
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