The Bat And The Cat Trailer Is The Batman’s Most Revealing Trailer Yet

Matt Reeves’ The Batman has received some truly exceptional trailers. And if the most recent one is any indication, there’s still plenty of footage we haven’t seen. Warner Bros. dropped the third full-length official trailer for The Batman. Titled The Bat and the Cat, this one delves a bit more into the on-off dynamic between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne. But in terms of the plot points that it reveals or confirms, this one is probably the most revealing yet.

Right off the bat, it’s a miracle that this trailer presents so much new footage despite us having already received two full-length trailers. There’s no denying that the Riddler is the central baddie of The Batman but unlike previous villains, he now knows Batman’s real identity as he calls him out by name, thereby introducing a new spin to the cat and mouse chase between the two. The Riddler is seemingly committing a series of crimes building up to a catastrophic series of explosions in Gotham City, all of which are tied to his central motive of wanting to send some kind of message to Bruce. He ostensibly has some connection to the Wayne family.

My best guess at this point is that the Waynes may have been inadvertently responsible for some tragedy in the Riddler’s life, whether it’s his current disfigured form or the death of his parents. This would lend the Riddler’s claims some complexity and might also explain Bruce’s dismay at Alfred as he tells his butler, “You lied to me”. Perhaps the Waynes didn’t do as much as the Riddler hoped. Speaking of which, the prologue kicking off the trailer takes a nice jab at Bruce not doing enough for the city intercut with shots of his Caped Crusader self taking out Gotham’s criminals.

Selina and Bruce have a lot going on between themselves and it sounds like they’ll be working together more intricately than any live-action iteration of Batman and Catwoman ever have. Despite their partnership, Selina may not be aware of Bruce’s real identity, either throughout the film or at least until halfway through. Bruce’s motivational talk to her about not wasting your life suggests the bond goes a bit deeper than just a vigilante team-up.

I’m really leaning towards Michael Giacchino’s new Batman theme that sounds like it’s set to become the new standard, hummable tune we associate the Dark Knight with for years to come. And the trailer’s rendition of it, borrowing from a similar track used in a Japanese TV Spot, is even more electrifying. Most of all, Greg Fraiser’s cinematography sets the mood just right and I’d be mighty surprised if it doesn’t turn out to be Oscar-worthy.

Finally, the trailer sort of seals what’s been a lingering doubt in my mind for a while: the movie is not set in the 90s as was rumored once, but rather in the present day. The presence of smartphones and Times Square esque digital billboards coupled with Batman doing a video call with the Riddler should be evidence enough.

The Batman is due out in theaters on Mar 4, 2022. It will be available on HBO Max 45 days after its theatrical run.