Annlyel James 
Was the new trailer for The Batman an underwhelming set of money shots cobbled together and lacking depth and direction? Annlyel offers a polarizing look at Matt Reeves‘ latest trailer
I remember watching the official teaser for The Batman for the first time…and I loved it! I loved every gloomy frame, every creepily spoken word from Paul Dano’s Riddler; every tantalizing hint of Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman, and yes, I thought Batman looked cool. I even loved his, “I’m vengeance” line which has since become corny after seeing it so many times and its use in the second trailer.
DC FANDOME
The official trailer dropped at DC FanDome. And what I can’t seem to get my head around is why this trailer, with all of its gasp-inducing frames that look like something right out of a mature comic book, seems to fall so flat. But I think I’ve discovered the answer to the trailer’s conundrum and it’s simple. The trailer has no aim.
Whoever cobbled together this 2 minute and forty-second trailer of bland epicness obviously didn’t understand that all great trailers are miniature movies. We don’t need spoilers. But there needs to be a bit of a story to let the viewer know what the heck is happening and why they should be excited about this new film.
ETERNALS
Marvel’s Eternals did just that by releasing a second trailer that answered our most burning questions without revealing the whole plot in the process. And yet, it found a way to entice us to the point where, yeah, people are excited for Eternals.
I want to be excited for The Batman. But between the dazzling shots that yes, did look amazing, no information gave me a reason to want to see this. In fact, let me give you a quick rundown of this trailer and why it’s so upsetting how badly crafted it is.
The trailer begins ominously as we are introduced to…wait who is this? A guy who seems to be wearing glasses in what appears to be an empty diner. We never see his face. We don’t even know who this is. It’s just some guy getting arrested by police.
But he leaves behind a parting gift; a cup of coffee with a question mark drawn in the foam. For those who have no idea who the Riddler is this leaves no significance. If anything, it’s an omen to the confusion this trailer presents as it continues for the next two minutes and fourteen seconds. Suddenly, the trailer cuts abruptly to the Warner Bros. and DC Comics logos bathed in stark red just in case you’re not quite sure what the heck this could be.
IT’S A WARNING!
Next, we see the Bat-signal as Robert Pattinson’s Batman speaks ominously about the signal: “Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky it’s not just a call, it’s a warning.” And, as Batman goes to town on lowlife criminals with face paint during this section of the trailer, the warning is very clear. When that light is in the sky you better run.
But what does this have to do with a larger narrative for this trailer? Nothing. It’s just a shoehorned bit of cool dialogue to pair with Batman going to town on some folks. It adds nothing of value to the story this trailer is trying to tell. And then…that’s pretty much it. The rest of the trailer is just Batman being, well, Batman.
ROGUES GALLERY
When we see this fella in the context of the trailer you have to ask yourself who is this guy? Nothing points toward him being The Penguin so there is no specific “oh cool, that’s The Penguin” moment for him in the trailer.
Zoe Kravitz is sprinkled throughout the trailer looking like a sexy femme fatale who will be Batman’s love interest in some form or another. And while that’s cool once again, the trailer never lets us know she’s Catwoman. Instead, the trailer treats the viewer like we already know who she is and that’s not fair for anyone who maybe didn’t see the teaser. And from there the trailer just becomes a series of more visually impressive shots of rad action sequences. Batman displays his tank armor as he mows his way through a hallway of shooting baddies, and senseless shots of Batman looking intensely at stuff that we can’t see.
THE MONEY SHOT
Oh, and there’s this money shot. A super awesome upside-down view of a silhouetted Batman against a backdrop of fire approaching his victim as the logo for The Batman appears.
So, according to the trailer, this movie will have a very simple plot. Batman fights bad guys, he’s a bit taken with this new lady who he kind of seems to care about but she also seems to be a criminal, and did I mention he fights bad guys? There’s no depth, no intrigue, no groundbreaking storytelling for everyone’s favorite fictional vigilante. This trailer was designed to make you excited…if you like getting glimpses of roughly every action sequence this movie will probably have to offer.
It’s an unfortunate trailer and I’m hoping we’ll get another one at some point because there’s nothing about this trailer that feels that cool. Except the cinematography and Zoe Kravitz. She’s already looking like she’s going to be a fantastic Catwoman.
The Batman swings into theatres on March 4, 2022.
Did the new trailer for The Batman get you excited for Matt Reeves’ origin story? Or do you agree with my assessment? Leave a comment and join the conversation.
Source: Warner Bros.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
