These Brutally Honest Fan Reviews Prove That The Batman Is Not For Everyone
"The Batman" has only just become available to the movie-going public, but it's already gotten a stellar response from critics and fans alike. The Matt Reeves-directed feature boasts an 85% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, while its user score sits at over 90%. Some fans have gone so far as to even declare "The Batman" the best of the Caped Crusader pictures ever (via The Wrap). While that may not seem like an enormous statement when accounting for the derided "Batman & Robin" or the divisive "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," it becomes a more arguable point when considering Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy or Tim Burton's beloved "Batman."
Still, "The Batman" has lived up to the hype and earned praise even next to other chapters in the Batman saga. Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman has earned raves, while supporting players like Colin Farrell and Paul Dano enjoy juicy, disappearing act parts in the movie's three-hour runtime. Even so, "The Batman" has not been for everyone. Some fans have made it clear that not everyone has fallen head over heels for Reeves' latest version of Gotham City. While the response has not been as mixed as, say, Zack Snyder's dark, mythic take on the DCEU, there is a vocal minority who have not been won over by Reeves' impressive cast or massive runtime.
Beautiful, but underwhelming
Director Matt Reeves' vision for "The Batman" is undeniably epic, but a massive budget, A-list cast, and intricate, dark story have not won over some who have found the movie "underwhelming," despite it containing an impressive look.
"I'm not going to hold you 'The Batman' was shot beautifully but the movie was overall underwhelming imo," one Twitter user wrote about the film. Another took the criticism a step further and described the picture as the "most underwhelming, overrated film of my lifetime." Another said the movie left them "disappointed." "Talk about over-hyped," the Twitter user declared.
Even those feeling the story left much to be desired have heaped praise on the cinematography, courtesy of Greig Fraser as director of photography. He previously worked on films like "Dune" and Disney Plus' "The Mandalorian." A visually-engaging frame, however, is not enough for critics of "The Batman." "Does anyone else remember when Aretha Franklin was asked to weigh in on modern pop stars and when they got to Taylor Swift she paused and simply said '...gorgeous gowns?' That's my entire review of THE BATMAN (2022)," one Twitter fan wrote in summation.
The Batman is too long
When it was announced that "The Batman" came with a 2 hour and 56 runtime, some fans were elated, feeling the length provided the right potential for a sprawling introduction to a new Batman in Robert Pattinson. Runtimes for comic book movies typically run between 2 hours and 2 hours and 30 minutes, but they have grown over the years. When Zack Snyder released his cut of "Justice League," for instance, on HBO Max, it ran just a hair over 4 hours. "Avengers: Endgame" didn't go quite that far, but sported a 3-hour runtime, and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" ran just shy of two and a half hours.
Longer runtimes may be more common in the superhero genre today, but some are simply not fans, at least when it comes to the case of "The Batman." "Gorgeous cinematography, solid performances, but it's 3 hours long and FEELS IT," one Twitter user wrote in their review of the movie.
"Is this really the movie they forced Ben Affleck out for?" another fan asked. "Wasn't awful but that was wildly pretentious and anticlimatic and way too f**king long." In another review still praising "The Batman" as an "achievement," a viewer said the pacing was simply off. "It's not the runtime but it feels like the pacing was a bit messy. I didn't get enough time during some scenes and others it dragged too long," the Twitter user wrote.
The film is anticlimactic
One of the most common criticisms from dissenting fans thrown at "The Batman" is that its ending is "anticlimactic." While many have not seen the final picture, they have likely heard "The Batman" contains a shocking finale, one that even introduces us to a possible new villain for a potential sequel. Some, however, felt that after nearly three hours of buildup, the conclusion of "The Batman" just didn't live up.
"Pointless, unnecessary, anticlimactic, and a waste of time. Bottom of the Batman barrel," one Twitter user declared about the movie. A separate review actually praising the movie admitted to an ending that was a "bit disappointing."
"The Batman was 3 hours of straight GARBAGE, bad acting, average drawn out plot, and anticlimactic ending," another user wrote, questioning how so many could be praising the picture. "Just a terrible, terrible movie. Wish I could get those 3 hours back."