Matt Reeves’ The Batman recently became available on Netflix Philippines, and I think it’s my new favorite Batman movie.

WARNING: THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Is this the best Batman movie ever? I don’t know. But I think it’s the best *I* have seen.

Robert Pattinson is one of the best Batman/Bruce actors.

Robert Pattinson is such an amazing actor. From the subtle voice changes between Batman and Bruce (reminds me of Kevin Conroy’s brilliant voice acting in the 90s animation) to the broody microexpressions, he is just so, so good in this role. I love the grimmer take on Bruce Wayne here; growing up with the animated version, I always remembered Bruce as this charming, rich playboy. This version is a broody young recluse. Yet as the movie goes along, you can see his potential to grow and eventually step up to fix the mess his father’s death left behind — not as the Batman, but as Bruce Wayne.

Team #CatBat Forever

Selina and Bruce are my favorite DC couple. Perhaps even my favorite superhero comic book couple ever. So all I have to say about them in this film is THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY CATBAT HEART HAPPY. Even if they parted ways in the end, they were still wonderful as a team in this film.

The Riddler Stole the Show

Buuuuuuuuut my favorite thing about this film is actually THE RIDDLER. This version of him is so twisted, so sinister, and so BRILLIANT. I’ve always loved the Joker as a foil for Batman, but this version of the Riddler just works so well for the detective film/psychological thriller vibe. Who better to go up against a detective-type hero than an intellectual villain who is excellent at crafting puzzles and ciphers?

There’s also something even darker and scarier about a villain who will give you HOPE of escaping his clutches by solving his riddles versus one who will blow you up just for laughs. How the Riddler managed to activate his fanbase of psychos and copycat killers is absolutely CHILLING because you KNOW it could happen somewhere in the dark corners of the internet.

The Penguin Made Me Laugh (in a good way)

I also appreciated splashes of humor here and there to give us breathers between the dark nature of the story and the visuals. This entire sequence with Colin Farrell’s Penguin ending with his little penguin walk while he was tied up (unfortunately NOT shown in this clip) was one of my favorite parts of the movie.

The Visuals and Cinematography, Yo.

There were so many amazing moments and frames in this film, but one my personal favorites is this badass moment where Batman is just brood-walking to the Penguin’s car. The composition of this frame with the flames behind Batman is just *chef’s kiss*.

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Overall? Loved this movie. Give me more of this Batverse please! (And internet, please stop scaring us with rumors that The Batman II is canceled.)

I also posted the shorter first draft of this review on my Letterboxd account. Add me up if you’re also there!