According to the Batman Fandom website, Batman has been the most popular DC Comics hero since his birth in 1939, but I had never watched a Batman movie until March 16, when I saw the superhero’s newest film, “The Batman.” To be honest, my mental image of Batman was that of a very dark character in stories that are just as dark. As a person who basically likes lighter films, I was hesitant to watch this movie. 

However, “The Batman” runs 2 hours and 55 minutes, so I am sure that DC and Warner had high expectations for this movie. Many Batman fans also told me how good the film was. This movie exceeded my expectations, and I think it is undeniably a masterpiece.

First of all, this film is dark all over. In terms of the story, it is as expected. Most of the action in the movie takes place at night, and all of the scenes are very dark because the daytime scenes are in buildings with very little interior light. However, the action in “The Batman” is very cool. Even in the dark, we are able to see what Batman is doing, and combined with the sound effects, there is a tense combat atmosphere. My favorite part of the film is the battle in the second half. When a gun is fired, there is a muzzle flash on the screen, and the rest of the action scene is pitch black. The scene in which Batman moves forward while the screen is interrupted many times is quite artistic, scary and cool. The character is truly worthy of the name “Dark Knight.”

Along with the violent image I had of Batman, I saw his humanity and struggling in desperate scenes. The Batman of this movie has enough crazed anger to hunt down the bad guys, but he is also a character that grows up too quickly and faces various problems.

The plot has many mystery elements, and as we learn more about the villain, Riddler, we learn more about the other characters as well. These mystery elements made me curious about what would happen next, and I enjoyed this nearly three-hour movie without getting bored.

On the other hand, I also have a complaint or two about the film. I know what kind of character Batman was born to be, but I am not familiar with Batman’s origin story, so I was a little confused as the film progressed. Of course, I understood what kind of hero Batman was in the intense opening scene, but it was hard to understand what kind of person Bruce Wayne was. I had the same issue with “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

However, I gradually came to understand Bruce Wayne and eventually realized that he is undeniably a hero. This is a spoiler, but at the end of the movie, Batman saves people’s lives. At that moment, for the first time, a great deal of light floods the screen, where light was almost non-existent. The moment I saw this scene, I realized that this movie, which until now had strong mystery and detective elements, was really a hero movie. In other words, this movie was Batman’s transformation story, showing how he changed from an avenger at the beginning of the film to a hero at the end. The catharsis of understanding this transformation was tremendous and inspiring. 

For first-time viewers, it may take some time to understand this film because of its strong mystery elements, but I think it is a masterpiece that will help viewers understand Batman’s character. The more you watch the movie, the more interesting it becomes, and I would like to watch it again several times. Already a $500 million success, according to IGN Entertainment, many viewers will be drawn into the dark world of “The Batman.”