The Batman

The latest trailer for The Batman recently premiered at DC FanDome, and with it comes an unlikely collaboration. Composer Michael Giacchino has added an array of accoutrements to a lesser-known track in the catalogue of 90s rock group Nirvana.

“Something in the Way,” the closing track from 1991’s Nevermind, holds an intertextual appeal: As the album fictionalizes lead singer Kurt Cobain’s experience with homelessness, so the lyrics envision a world that could just as well be Gotham. Notice subtle additions such as the waterphone at 0:31. The sound of an old camera flashbulb serves both as an audio bridge leading us to the media scrum scene, and it’s also synched to the soundtrack, as the chorus is introduced—and it’s at this point where the arrangement really diverges from the original recording, with extra reverb, more intense percussion, and generally a much more “trailerized” feel.

The musical arrangement reaches a holding pattern here, as the brooding percussion and wordless vocals set the scene for an action montage. The brooding and intimate feel of the track provide a counterpoint to the violence on screen, with each emphasizing the effect of the other. Similarly, the absence of sound effects and foley up to the 1:35 mark makes the sudden aural presence of rain, and the subsequent sound of crushing flesh and bone as Batman metes out vigilante justice, all the more apparent to the eardrums.

This violent interlude ceases at 1:48 upon the introduction of the latest Batmobile, which then leads to another montage, this time with the rhythm doubled to up the ante. With the introduction of the main title card at 1:58, the main theme for “Something in the Way” returns, but this time the harmonic rhythm is also doubled, with extra bass notes, full strings, and overall a final reveal of an epic arrangement that the track receives in this trailer. Notice that, even with all of these epic layers, Cobain’s solemn humming is still present. It’s that sense of moroseness at the core of the track that also distinguishes the core of Batman’s character, as a superhero steeped in grit rather than gloss.

“Something in the Way” is ultimately based on Cobain’s real life experience but also, according to the 1993 biography Come As You Are, “the fantasy of it”. In a similar way, it appears that The Batman straddles the line between the realism of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and the purely fantastical world of Tim Burton’s take.

Notably, the ending stipulates that the film will be “only in theatres” and that it is “currently in production”. Although there are indications the film is slated for release October 1st, 2021, it’s fairly clear the studios are having to learn to temper expectations and be more precise about the release strategy—and if it’s theatres-only, perhaps to underpromise on the release date.

— Curtis Perry