“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.