The Batman Movie Review (2024)

Parents Say: age 15+ The Batman Movie Review (1) 72 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Positive Messages

    some

    Ponders the nature and cost of vengeance and what it means to genuinely help people (i.e., "Am I doing this for myself, or for others?"). Also touches on how social media can spread misinformation (and, subsequently, violence), the idea that power corrupts, and what it takes to remain a good person.

  • Positive Role Models

    some

    Batman is a troubling character, as he uses violence to solve problems, but he also uses his head, and he learns the difference between vengeance and trying to do good in the world. Lt. Gordon is also a great character here, remaining decent and law-abiding within a deeply corrupt system.

  • Diverse Representations

    some

    Several iconic Batman characters, including Selina Kyle and Lt. Gordon, are Black, as is a woman named Bella Reál, who's running for mayor of Gotham. It's implied that Selina is in a romantic relationship with a woman (she calls her "baby"); Selina also kisses Batman. Other people of color are seen in small roles or in background.

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  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Characters are killed, dead bodies are seen. Guns and shooting. Brutal beating with a metallic tool. Characters in death traps. Heavy punching, kicking, beating, martial arts fighting. A woman is hit with a pool cue and choked. Taser. Hitting with baseball bat. Severed thumb. Explosions. Car chase with multiple crashes. Sounds of woman being killed on a recording (screaming). Major flooding. Minor blood spatters, scratches. Corner store holdup. Building set on fire. Crime scene photos. A child is said to have found his dead father's body. Dialogue about 12-year-old orphans becoming "dropheads," rats chewing on fingers, babies dying of cold, etc.

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a little

    Kissing. Woman seen in underwear while dressing. Brief sex-related dialogue.

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  • Language

    some

    Sporadic use of "s--t," "a--hole," "ass," "d--k," "pr--k," "goddamn," "son of a bitch," "oh my God," "scumbag," and "freakin'." "Christ" and "Jesus" used as exclamations.

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  • Products & Purchases

    very little

    Part of a long-running and massive superhero franchise. Oreo cookies are mentioned in end credits but not prominently featured in movie. (Oreo is releasing a limited edition, movie tie-in Batman cookie.)

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    some

    Part of the plot revolves around a fictitious drug business; the drug consists of drops placed in people's eyes. Addicts, called "dropheads," are shown. Minor drinking.

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  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that The Batman is a new/rebooted take on the iconic superhero. This Batman (Robert Pattinson) is conflicted and violent but also uses his head and learns as he goes along. The movie's action violence is intense, with killings and dead bodies, guns and shooting, explosions and crashes, lots of fighting (punching, kicking, hitting with objects, choking, etc.), a severed thumb, violence against women, descriptions of upsetting events, and more. Language isn't constant but includes several uses of "s--t," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," and more. Characters kiss, there's sex-related dialogue, and a woman is seen in her underwear as she dresses. Part of the plot revolves around a fictitious drug business; the drug consists of drops placed in the eyes (addicts are called "dropheads"). The movie is more diverse than previous takes on the Dark Knight, deals thoughtfully with the nature and cost of vengeance, touches on how social media can spread misinformation, and, even with a 175-minute runtime, is one of the best Batman movies to date. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

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  • Parents say (72)
  • Kids say (186)

age 15+

Based on 72 parent reviews

Desiredenlisted Parent of 13 and 15-year-old

March 6, 2022

age 13+

"The Batman" Isn't Meant for kids, It's meant for those who understand Batman

As someone who reads and digests almost every form of media Batman, I can say this Batman walked up to the plate and knocked a home run. Its some of the best acting, best story, best cinematography you'll ever see. That's if you understand what "The Batman" is. a Comic book movie, I don't mean family friendly, I mean accurate to the characters Comic Series. Both this movie and "Spiderman: No-way-home" are comic book movies, but on the surface look black and white. That's because Batman in general is not a family friendly crime fighting super hero like spiderman who drops one liners while fighting. He is dark, he uses violence, the villains are cruel and inhumane. There is corruption everywhere, abuse of power and inhumane practices, this movie takes all of those and puts it into one of the best movies you'll watch if you know what's going on. Both my 13 and 15 year old sons love Batman just as much as I do, we always get the newest comics and always sit down to watch the movies together as soon as they come out. Which is why we enjoyed it, we understood what Batman is, don't bring your child to this movie expecting a fun, bright color, light hearted movie. Only bring your child if they are a decent amount of a bit above average batman fan, they will understand it way more and won't be shocked at some of the aspects. I ain't saying this movie is meant for younger people as long as they understand batman. I am saying know the audience member your bringing, Kids who don't read batman and just know him as a rich guy in a suit fighting crime, aren't most likely gonna enjoy this movie. This is one of the best Comic book movies of all time but there are some things you will need to know like.* There is a decent amount of swearing in this stuff like the f bomb [Bats*it] [Son of a Bi*tch] [Sh*t] and a few more however there is not much as I counted only 9 times it swore.* Violence in this movie is a decent amount, however the actual aftermath of the violence isn't shown, The Batman in this is absolutely brutal in combat however you don't see what the criminals body looks like after they have been beaten up. Just like how the Riddler the main villain who is a serial killer, mashes some ones head in with a pipe at the beginning of the film, you see it happening however don't see much blood and don't see the actual head mashed. also a few jokes like someone's thumb missing and batman uses it for one of the only jokes in the movie. * This film is meant to be depressing, as I have said before, it isn't meant to be bright and fun and colorful, its meant to be dark, depressing and shows you the true batman, Bruce Wayne/Batman [Robert Pattinson] is playing more of a depressed/emo type of person then the standard Playboy Billionaire. This means that the film involves things like Drinking, Drugs and smoking, however these are all very minor.* There is no sex scenes in this film however there are parts in the movie where women are in their under garments and men treat women in this film somewhat sexually. There are a few kisses and one passionate, and Bruce Wayne does have his shirt off for a few scenes.* No consumerism other then Oreos but that's in a post credit scene.* How you view Batman in this film as a role model is completely up to you. He does use violence in this film a decent amount however uses his mind even more to think of a good solution. The others like Jim Gordon and Catwomen are both morally good people in a corrupt system, so you can use this as a "No matter what, always be good at least under the surface" lesson, so it does get the Great Role Models from me and a Great message of its better to be a sign of Hope and Justice then Vengeance. Overall, I believe that if your kid is not a decent batman fan but wants to come with or watch the film, watch the trailer and see if you think they would enjoy it. But if your kid is a batman fan who can understand both Batman and Bruce Wayne, then buckle in for some of the best 3 hours of Batman you will ever see.

Bocat32 Parent of 12 and 18+-year-old

March 2, 2022

age 12+

Read this for a accurate age review for the Batman..

So… this film is a masterpiece.. it’s absolutely amazing. I loved every second of it… It has incredible cinematography and action and dialogue and acting and so much more!!! But… this film is decently violent and very mature in some spots.. in the first 5 minutes there is a scene where the “riddler” sneaks up behind someone and beats them until they’re knocked out with a tool. Then duct tapes there face up… the riddler is very dark and brutal in this film. It doesn’t show any cuts or stabbings or slicing people but it does show them getting knocked out. And there is a scene where a car crashes into a funeral and somebody gets out with a bomb attached to him and he has got blood all over him (from the crash) it’s nothing a 12 year old can’t handle though. It does sound worse on paper/online, than it actually is though. There is also a scene where Batman and Cat women go into a club and there are pole dancers, no naked girls or anything but they are on decently tight outfits. But again, even if you don’t think so, trust me, 12 year olds and over would hear lots of wearing and sex talk in the school yard anyway. The action scenes aren’t bad. There’s a few scenes where Batman punches thugs really hard but it’s not that bad. The only thing I’d be concerned about this film is the riddler. He is pretty crazy and messed up. Every murder that he does it shows him capturing them and knocking him out, but otherwise that’s pretty much it. It does sound worse than it actually is in theatre’s… also the movie is very loud so if you don’t cope well with loud noises then maybe wait for it to come out onto a streaming service or DVD. But overall this film is amazing. I’d call it the best Batman film ever and I’ve seen every single one. I’m a big batman fan and I can say that this is a must see even if you don’t really like Batman, still see it. So in the end, I’d recommend this film for anyone 12 and over. It does have some violence and very mature themes but if your child knows that it’s fake and not real then they’ll be fine. If you’re child is really mature and they’re 10 or 11 I’d say it’s fine too. Although no one under 10 should see this.. anyway thanks for reading my review, I hoped it helped!

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What's the Story?

In THE BATMAN, it's Halloween night, and the mayor of Gotham City is brutally murdered. The killer leaves a clue behind for the Batman (Robert Pattinson), who's still in the early years of his superhero career. The clue is a riddle that reveals the fact that the mayor had a secret mistress. Batman finds out that the woman is under the protection of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) -- but she still gets kidnapped. To try to find her, Selina helps Batman infiltrate a secret nightclub where politicians and criminals are entertained. There, Selina catches the attention of the district attorney (Peter Sarsgaard). Then the mayor's killer, known as the Riddler (Paul Dano), strikes again, killing the D.A. and leaving more clues for Batman and Lt. Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). They learn they must find "the rat" -- i.e., someone who has been leaking sensitive information. But even when this mystery is solved, can The Riddler be trusted?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (72):

Kids say (186):

This riveting take on Batman is, refreshingly, more of a detective story than an action spectacle -- although it does offer that element, too, as well as complex characters and relevant themes. Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman makes wise adjustments in just about every respect, finding a solution for Christian Bale's aggravating growl/whisper line delivery (Pattinson speaks softly, but he never strains) and for the soulless, gray color scheme of the Zack Snyder movies. Reeves' movie is dark (and often rainy), but he bathes the images in a warmer brown tone, with orange and yellow highlights, bringing a weariness and a desperation to the proceedings. And, while there are many villains here, the film -- unlike the 1990s sequels -- never feels cluttered. The Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin (a completely disguised Colin Farrell), etc., each occupy their own space in the story.

Moreover, Batman is more human and vulnerable here, "oofing" at the impact of blows and occasionally getting winded. Blessed with Pattinson's wounded, armored performance, this is arguably the most interesting character arc we've seen in a Batman movie. At the start, he sees himself as an avenging angel, but as the story goes on, he learns that things aren't that simple, that there are gray areas. There are consequences. A third-act climax touches on the dangers of misinformation and social media, paralleling certain terrifying real-life events. Reeves needed a lot of time to lay all this out, as well as some much-needed downtime to build characters and relationships; the result is that The Batman clocks in at a jaw-dropping 2 hours and 55 minutes. But it honestly never feels too long. It's arguably the most confident and mature Batman film to date and one of the best.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Batman's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • How are drugs depicted? What do the drops appear to do? Are they glamorized? Does the movie focus more on the effects of the drug or on the business around it?

  • What does Bruce/Batman learn over the course of the movie about vengeance?

  • The Riddler is able to summon up an army via his social media posts. How does this reflect real life? What can be done to avoid the potential negative effects of social media?

  • Did you notice diverse representations in the movie? Do you consider any of the characters to be role models?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: March 4, 2022
  • On DVD or streaming: May 24, 2022
  • Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano
  • Director: Matt Reeves
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Black actors
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Topics: Superheroes
  • Run time: 175 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material
  • Last updated: May 11, 2024

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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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