Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
"A Ferocious Detective Drama...": Here Are the First Reactions to 'The Batman'
New DC movie The Batman premiered in London over the weekend. Here's what critics and fans had to say about the Matt Reeves-directed film.
The media embargo for The Batman has lifted and reviews are in for the long-awaited DC film. Cast members Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Zoë Kravitz (Selina Kyle/Catwoman) , Jeffery Wright (James Gordon), and Paul Dano (Edward Nashton/Riddler) stunned at the London premiere at BFI IMAX Waterloo last Wednesday before critics and viewers gave their take on the film.
"As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City," Warner Bros. Pictures explained in a statement.
The film received high praise in response to its menacing appeal.
"Usually, Gotham is little more than a wicked city, churning out supervillains, but Reeves makes his Gotham into a living, breathing city, one where we can see the consequences of the deception and fraud at the top and how it hurts everyone underneath," Ross Bonaime said in a review for Collider.
"A masterful and heady introspection on vigilantism, told with foreboding grit and intensity atypical of the genre," Megan Navarro said in a four-and-a-half out of five review for Bloody Disgusting.
Despite positive reception, not all were sold on Reeves' styling.
"A less gripping redo of previous Batman films and television shows, with a lethargic pace that drains the film of tension and suspense," Scott Mendelson said for Forbes, scoring the film five out of ten.
For Bleeding Cool, Kaitlyn Booth agreed with Mendelson and said the film "features terrible pacing, a much too long runtime, a story that seems to think it's being original while it isn't, and a combination of a score and cinematography that leads to an uncomfortable viewing experience."
The Batman will premiere on March 4th at two hours and 47 minutes without end credits. Below are more tweets in support of the film.
\u201cThe Batman is unlike any other Batman film before it. The plot is grounded in reality, even more so than Nolan\u2019s Dark Knight trilogy. \n\n#TheBatman is more of a detective story rather than a superhero film. The cast is v. good with Colin Ferrell & Paul Dano being the film\u2019s MVPs.\u201d— Scott Menzel (@Scott Menzel) 1646067581
\u201c#TheBatman will go down as one of the best comicbook films in a long time. The script, performances, set pieces, & visual storytelling was phenomenal. Robert Pattinson shines as an emotional brooding Batman next to Paul Dano's terrifying Riddler. Matt Reeves' modern masterpiece.\u201d— Duane Miller (@Duane Miller) 1646067652
\u201cI've seen #TheBatman and it is a ferocious detective drama punctuated by moments of incredibly visceral action. Matt Reeves' direction is dark, deep, intense & flooded w/ instantly iconic imagery. A live-action BATMAN movie unlike any we've seen. Brilliant & badass. BIG recommend\u201d— Erik Davis (@Erik Davis) 1646067601
\u201cTHE BATMAN: the future of superhero movies is finally here, for better or worse. mostly for better. \n\nmy review of Matt Reeves' potentially game-changing 176-minute latex noir: https://t.co/sVuDY4pHyT #TheBatman\u201d— david ehrlich (@david ehrlich) 1646067692
\u201cTHE BATMAN rules. Matt Reeves has gifted us with an unapologetically noir take on Batman that is equal turns grand, intimate, hard-edged, and even a little wistful. Robert Pattinson is our broodiest, most disarmingly sensitive Bat-boy yet. Frame this movie for me!!\u201d— Hoai-Tran Bui (@Hoai-Tran Bui) 1646067730
\u201c#TheBatman starts out intensely, letting you know it\u2019s pushing as close to an R-rating that it can while maintaining a PG-13.\n\nMatt Reeves sets the tone early to say this one is gonna be gritty, intense, and sometimes scary with true horror elements injected - which is cool.\u201d— The Brandalorian (@The Brandalorian) 1646067665
\u201cWOW. #TheBatman is the BEST crafted Batman film of ALL TIME. Robert Pattinson is PERFECT for the role & Matt Reeves\u2019 direction shines with all departments firing on all cylinders. A masterful technical achievement that becomes one of the greatest comic book movies of all time\u201d— Diego Andaluz (@Diego Andaluz) 1646067614
\u201cCinema of a spectacular order, #TheBatman\u2019s the most artistically stunning CBM ever made, Matt Reeves wows with a sprawling detective tale showcasing the magnificence of Greig Fraser, bathing Gotham in an amber glow, Robert Pattinson owns the brooding Batman, WB has a winner\u20149.5\u201d— Erick \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd44\ud835\udd4b Weber (@Erick \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd44\ud835\udd4b Weber) 1646067603
