Matt Reeves' focus on the detective side of Batman may fall flat if not backed by a thrilling plot
Matt Reeves seems to have an interesting take on the Dark Knight. The director who had sparked debate after choosing Robert Pattinson as the next Batman now wants to focus on the mental aspect of the character who could, in his eyes, be the ‘World’s Greatest Detective’. There have been several instances in the comics where we see the Bat play more of an investigative role in tracking down villains and crimes, however, this is probably the first time we'll see a specific role attached in addition to the cape and cowl.
Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy traced Bruce Wayne's journey from a billionaire traveling the world training in combat and immersing himself in the criminal underworld. It then focussed on his skirmish with the Joker and finally taking down a formidable foe in Bane. All the while, the focus was on his emotional state. In 'The Dark Knight Rises', he is seen to have retired before Bane's plans pull him back to the world of crime-fighting again. Apart from this, the gadgets and the gizmos took up a fair share of attention.
The detective aspect was teased, but there was more suiting up and having a showdown, rather than go about digging up clues. This is partly because the storyline too didn't give much room for the Bat doing a Sherlock Holmes.
Screengeek recently reported that the plot of the new Batman movie was leaked. According to the site, Daniel Richtman had the details that said—"The Batman will explore a detective case—when people start dying in strange ways, Batman must go deep into the dark world of Gotham to find clues and solve the mystery/conspiracy connected to Gotham City’s history and criminals. In the film, all of Batman Rogues Gallery are already out there and active, similar to the comics and animated shows/movies. The film will have multiple villains, as they are all suspects."
Again, whether this theory is true or not, the fact that Bat portrayed as a detective may not really sit down too well with hardcore fans. Such was Nolan's standard that Ben Affleck, despite dishing out a decent performance, didn't live up to the merits of the Dark Knight trilogy. At this stage, it is still unclear if we will see more detective work or top-notch action sequences.
The detective element has rarely been touched in films and the fresh take may backfire if the plot or cast performances fall flat. If anything, the only saving grace in Affleck's essaying of the character was his scrimmage against Superman in 'Dawn of Justice'. And, we're not even getting into 'The Justice League'.
Ultimately, it all boils down to how the world grew up watching Batman. He fought crime, he had an ally in Jim Gordon who did a chunk of the investigative work, and this supplemented in him taking down the baddies. So while Reeves has a novel idea to put forth, it entirely depends on how all the pieces fit together perfectly— especially a strong thriller plot to back up the detective aspect.
What are your thoughts on Bat being portrayed as an ace detective?