So far, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight remains the golden standard for live-action Batman films. With a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2008 film, which won Heath Ledger a posthumous Academy Award for his role as Joker, isn’t just the best Batman film, it’s also one of the best comic book films of all time. But, while The Batman might not have “beaten” The Dark Knight, it’s far from lackluster and in some aspects, it’s a better movie.
Back in February, The Batman was awarded an AMC Artisan Film seal, joining Joker as the only two comic book films ever to have received such a distinction. Although critics aren’t exactly fawning over the film, most have high praises for it with the most glaring problem being the film’s overly long runtime. IGN describes The Batman as a “gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves.” After praising Zoe Kravitz’s and Paul Dano’s show-stealing performances while also giving props to Robert Pattinson, the same review adds that Matt Reeves “managed to make a Batman movie that’s entirely different from the others in the live-action canon, yet surprisingly loyal to Gotham lore as a whole.” The same thoughts can be found in the review from Vulture, which describes The Batman as “certainly long” and “slow at times” but also “never boring.” After describing Reeves’ The Batman as a much darker take on Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the review adds that this darkness “never feels fashionable, or opportunistic, or cheap.” The review adds by saying that Reeves has given audiences a “Batman that he himself can believe in, not to mention a Batman that feels right for our times.” Unfortunately, not every review has such good things to say about The Batman. For example, the NY Post describes The Batman as “bland” and “forgettable”, saying that “The Batman is here just to ensure that Marvel has box office competition.” Meanwhile, San Francisco Chronicle believes that “from start to finish, The Batman is mostly just a collection of bad ideas.” While we wouldn’t say that The Batman is a divisive film, it’s clear that critics each have their thoughts about the movie. However, with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s no secret that The Batman has earned itself more fans among critics than naysayers. Of course, the biggest equalizer here is what audiences will think about The Batman. After several teasers and trailers, The Batman will officially make its highly anticipated debut on Friday. Some are speculating that the movie could rake in somewhere around $115 million at the local box office in its opening weekend, which would be the highest for the year so far and near the top throughout the pandemic.
