The Art of The Batman by James Field

The Art of The Batman Reviews

• 
  Daye

  I LOVE YOU, THE BATMAN (2022)
• 
  Neil R. Coulter

  It was great fun to get this behind-the-scenes look at what I regard as the greatest Batman movie. “Art of” books can be all kinds of different things—sometimes literally just the concept artwork and production sketches, sometimes an illustrated screenplay, and occasionally a more robust look at the making of the film. The Art of The Batman is the latter category: it’s not just the art, but also a fair amount of text taken from interviews with the crew and cast of the film, explaining the thought process in designing the characters, locations, and vehicles. I really enjoyed learning more about the film, and I like the ways the creators took influences from various graphic novel sources and crafted a film that feels like an original graphic novel story. Artwork is integrated into the text throughout, but the book ends with several full-page spreads of concept art, all of which is beautiful—very Blade Runner-y and evocative.
  
  Hopefully they’ll just leave this movie alone to be its own perfect thing and not spin it off into a thousand other movies and TV series. I mean . . . it’s possible, right?
• 
  Joakim Ax

  I love The Batman. Rewatching the movie has never once taken away any of the feeling I had the first time watching it. This book just enhances the experience, and sutle details that may get lost in the shadows. But as stated in the movie, he is the shadows!
• 
  Luca Trovati

  Quando un film/gioco/serie tv mi piace particolarmente tendo a guardare in giro se per caso è stato pubblicato un libro a riguardo. "the art of..." stanno spopolando, ormai si trovano ovunque su qualsiasi cosa e se di solito la forma è sempre più o meno gradevole (come in questo caso) e il prezzo sempre più meno alto (come soprattutto in questo caso), la grossa differenza che mi fa scegliere se comprare o meno un libro del genere è il contenuto.
  Molti sono libri giganti con "solamente" un mucchio di foto, altri hanno semplici didascalie e guidano il lettore nella descrizione delle fotografie, processo di realizzazione ecc...
  poi ti capita tra le mani QUESTO libro e capisci che se anche fosse costato il doppio probabilmente avresti comunque finito per dargli lo stesso i soldi.
  I testi sono tanti, interessanti, ci sono un sacco di interviste a cast, regista, montatori, grafici, designers. C'è il vero mondo dietro a quello che personalmente credo sia uno dei film più belli dello scorso anno. C'è spiegato il perché delle cose.
  Perché Batman è così, i costumi che indossa, i veicoli, l'atmosfera noir gotica e malinconica di Gotham, ci sono una tonnellata di disegni preparatori, studi fotografici, test, doppie pagine di roba che potrei anche solo sognare di disegnare. Si tratta di un volume gigante e pesante, fatto divinamente, da leggere assolutamente se vi è piaciuto il film di Matt Reeves.
• 
  David Muñoz

  A GREAT BEHIND THE SCENES, LOOK AT ONE OF THE BEST FILMS TO RELEASE IN 2022!
  
  Not much I can say besides I loved this movie, so I asked for the art book as a Christmas gift. It was super fun to get an inside look behind the amazing film, and it really adds a cool perspective. It really makes me appreciate the film more cause the attention to detail the team put into the project is crazy! I loved seeing the inspiration Matt Reeves (Director) and crew took to add it to the film. They talk a lot about making this Batman film more detective oriented compared to the previous Bat-flims. That’s honestly something that went over my head, but once you realize that this movie is the first of the Bat-flicks to focus more on his detective skills, it really shows how great it stands out.
  
  Awesome concept art and details that will have you watching the film differently.
  MUST buy for any fan of the film.
• 
  Rory Wilding

  One of the most anticipated movies to come out this year was Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which took a long time to arrive, due to a certain pandemic. Whilst I don’t think it’s the best Batman movie ever made, but I praised it highly for its unique take on the mythos, which is grounded and moody, whilst paying respect to the source material. Having seen the film twice in cinemas and has pre-ordered the film on home video, it’s one of those films that you want to dissect and this is where this art book written by James Field comes in.
  
  Director and co-writer Matt Reeves has acknowledged the influence of certain Batman comics, including Year One and The Long Halloween, both of which are mentioned throughout this book, with even panels showcasing the art of David Mazzuchelli and Tim Sale printed on the pages. As someone who has read a lot of Batman comics, I can see the influences of other titles that sprung up whilst watching the movie and would’ve liked to have seen a mention here, considering that the film itself gives special thanks to the various creators who contributed to the comics.
  
  Most of the chapters delve into the development of the principal characters, with the actors playing them giving their perspective on what their roles represent. However, it is Reeves and a number of crew members, including production designer James Chinlund, costume designers Jacqueline Durran and Glyn Dillon, giving their insight about the various designs. The greatest pleasure from this is the in-depth look on the Batsuit, conceived by Dillon as chief concept artist, going into the tactical nature of the suit and many details in the utility belt. Same goes for the Batmobile, which is less style and more function.
  
  There are a few chapters that go into the anatomy of certain scenes, such as City Hall, the escape from the GCPD and the Batmobile chase. Usually there would be a whole description that partly covers two pages and subsequent pages would be concept art showcasing said sequences. The double-page spreads showing concept arts and sketches show the amount of detail, whether it is something as simple as Batman’s insignia or overstuffed environments like the Riddler’s apartment. There is definitely a chapter that goes into great length about this version of Gotham City, which is a modern cross between Gothic and New York from a certain period, whilst actually shooting in cities like London and Liverpool.
  
  The problem with these art books is that, despite the level of description that go about how they achieve a number of things, there is always a craving for wanting more about the making of the film and hopefully when the Blu-ray comes out, we will get more bonus material. That said, if you’re a fan of this new cinematic iteration of Batman, this book is worth checking out.
• 
  Yevgeny Tarabanov

  Beautiful art book.
  It’s pretty sizeable with over 200 pages.
  There’s a good mix here of both concept art, various sketches and behind the scenes photos.
  James Field wrote many great bits with interviews of the whole cast and crew.
  All in all a great read and great visuals for the fans of the film.
• 
  brianna

  I really enjoyed this movie which was why I really wanted to read this book. Reading this book just made me appreciate the film even more. I love how they tried to make it look realistic and not similar to the comics because like spandex for a suit, come on now. I enjoyed reading about their reasoning for the decisions they had to take to make the film flow together.
• 
  Scott Waldyn

  Beautiful book (though I would expect no less) with some illuminating details about the filmmaking process for The Batman. It's especially interesting to read how VR and LED technology helped to play a role in realizing such a darkly alluring cityscape.
• 
  Kevin Thang

  A behind the scenes look at one of the biggest movies of the year and one of the best Batman movies, from the mind of Matt Reeves.
  
  Concept art, set designs, prop designs, and in-depth character creations including comments from the actors.
• 
  Paul Sutter

  As one who grew up in the 1960’s with both the Batman comics and the campy and fun television show Batman, I always had a soft spot in my heart for the character. Since Batman was created back in the late 1930’s, it has been an iconic superhero, someone who treads the fine line between lightness and darkness. That is what has given the comic character its edge and made it so endearing nearly eight decades later.
  As noted, Batman has graced the television screen in the 1960’s, and the silver screen many times over. A host of popular actors have embraced the role, among them Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and others. The most recent star of which this book pays homage to, was Robert Pattinson, of Twilight fame.
  THE ART OF BATMAN, is the story behind the most recent Batman movie. Director of the movie Matt Reeve,s said the film as not an origin story. He stated, “At the end of the day, what I wanted was a Batman who was exceedingly human. I wanted you to see this guy who does these amazing things, but in a way, his scars are his biggest strength.”
  The book details every aspect of the movie, looking at his bat suit, which has always defined him in a way. His car, the famed Batmobile, is also explained in detail, and in the movie Bruce Wayne is the one who builds the ultimate crime fighting car.
  What many noticed in the movie, was the darkness of the film both in terms of story and the way the movie was illuminated. The book presents that with some of the locales in the film, the darkness most evident in the scenes. And what would a Batman movie be without the villains. Two classic nemesis of Batman are presented in the film, the Riddler and Penguin. It is explained in detail as well the motivations for their costumes, and how we view a much different sort of persona than in the comics and past movies.
  Zoe Kravitz was cast as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. Here again, we see a different take on this classic character, who has been both a hero and villain over the years. In essence, the book is the ideal companion to the movie. Even if you have not seen the film, there is enough in here to explain the story, and hopefully inspire you to view this dark and delightful new take on The Batman.
• 
  Richard Hiron

  The Art of The Batman by James Field is a companion piece to the film, The Batman (2022)❓🦇🐧🐈‍⬛🌊🌆.
  
  Despite its title, it is a “making of” book, explaining certain creative decisions and the background to both the characters and to Gotham City 🏙, rather than purely taking a look at the art 🖼 of the film 🎥.
  
  However, the artwork 🖼 is very impressive as it explores iconic characters, locations, gadgets and set pieces from the film and from the Batman comic books. The faded glory of the sweeping vistas of Gotham City 🌃 explored in the book is stunning, combining “realism” with just enough fantasy to make this new Gotham fascinating, rather than outright terrifying.
  
  Something that struck me about the book as I was reading it was that the film’s director, Matt Reeves and his crew wanted Gotham 🏙 to feel fully-realised from the start, even though the city shown in the film is several different cities stapled together. I also liked how the book described plot points and certain creative decisions that weren’t quite clear from the film (such as why Bruce Wayne lives in Wayne Tower🗼rather than in Wayne Manor, and the meaning behind The Penguin’s scars 🐧). I also chuckled when the book described Robert Pattinson’s version of The Batman as “vampiric” 🧛‍♂️😂!
  
  I felt much more comfortable rewatching the film 🎥 whilst reading this book. It still is not my favourite Batman film - I’ll stick with Batman Returns (1992) and The Dark Knight (2008) for that - but it’s a very good one and I’m much fonder of it for having read this book (not simply because the author went to the same university as I did).
• 
  Set The Tape

  These artwork books are usually pleasant items for a quick flick-through for fans looking for some behind the scenes photos and concept art. The Art of the Batman demonstrates the same care as the feature film it is covering, in providing a thoughtful and detailed look at the thinking and work that went into the project, illustrated by some of the most gorgeous art anyone could wish for. It is book that inspires a need to watch the film again. Recommended
  
  Full Review:
  https://setthetape.com/2022/04/27/the...
• 
  L.A. Frederick

  A stunning book and collection of artwork to complement the best film of 2022.
  
  I’d highly recommend for fans of the film, or for Batman fans looking for any extra material to quench your thirst for more Batman goodness!
  
  Artwork throughout is beautiful. The attention to detail in the filmmaking process is exceptional.
  
  Fantastic read.
• 
  Kloe

  If you love the Batman movie, read this
• 
  Alisha Taylor 💋

  Not the best movie but this book is beautiful A true geeks dream
• 
  Cherrie Wang

  Beautiful book, obviously, loads of visdev work and sketches but I sincerely wish the artists were credited on the pages, with the label/title. Would that be so hard to do?
• 
  Abdulaziz

  It good but I was hoping for more "art", concept art.
• 
  Gary Detrick

  The drawing concepts and depth of creativity makes this an awesome book. Especially for any artist.
• 
  Cook Memorial Public Library

  A 2022 staff favorite recommended by Mark. Check our catalog:
  https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...