The Batman Review: Pattinson's Noir Gamble Pays Off
Robert Pattinson's raw, year-two Batman stalks Paul Dano's Zodiac-inspired Riddler through a rain-soaked Gotham. It works — and the 2h56m runtime is the only real cost of entry.
Yes, The Batman is worth watching — and it's one of the best films the character has ever had. Matt Reeves' 2022 take is a 2-hour-56-minute rain-soaked detective noir that trades superhero spectacle for a serial-killer mystery, and Robert Pattinson plays a raw, year-two Bruce Wayne who is less billionaire playboy than insomniac obsessive. If you came to this The Batman review for a verdict before committing nearly three hours: it works. The single real cost of entry is that runtime.
Here's the honest shape of it. This is not a fast, quippy comic-book movie. It's a slow-burn crime procedural in a cowl, closer to Se7en or Zodiac than to The Avengers. The villain is the Riddler (Paul Dano), reimagined as a masked, online-broadcasting serial killer. And — for the curious — yes, there's a Joker, played briefly by Barry Keoghan. Importantly, this Batman exists in its own standalone universe, not the main DCU.
Is The Batman a good movie? The short answer
If you're asking is The Batman a good movie, the critical consensus lands firmly on the "yes" side — it sits in the mid-to-high 80s on Rotten Tomatoes with an even warmer audience score. But scores undersell what makes it distinct. Most superhero films are about saving the city in the third act; this one is about solving it. The mystery is the engine, and Gotham itself — a perpetually wet, neon-bruised metropolis shot by cinematographer Greig Fraser — is the best-realized version of the city we've had on film.
Robert Pattinson's Batman: the best in years
The biggest question going in was the lead, and this Robert Pattinson Batman review can be blunt: he's excellent. Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne as a recessive, haunted recluse — pale, eyeliner-smudged, more comfortable behind the cowl than out of it. This is "year two" Batman, still figuring out who he is, narrating his own grim diary like a man who hasn't slept since his parents died.
What makes it work is restraint. Pattinson doesn't do the gravelly bark or the smirking confidence of past Batmen. His Bruce is a question mark, and the film slowly turns him from an agent of vengeance into something closer to a symbol of hope. It's a genuine arc, not a pose. If you've enjoyed brooding, transformation-driven leads elsewhere — the kind of work that powers our best A24 movies ranked — this is Pattinson channeling that same indie intensity into a blockbuster.
Who is the Riddler villain in The Batman?
The film's secret weapon is its antagonist. The The Batman Riddler villain is not the green-spandex game-show host of past iterations. Paul Dano plays him as a sniffling, rage-filled loner in a homemade gimp mask, modeled openly on the real-life Zodiac Killer — he leaves ciphered cards on the bodies of Gotham's corrupt elite and live-streams his manifesto to a radicalized online following.
It is genuinely unsettling, and it gives the movie a procedural spine. Each murder peels back another layer of Gotham's institutional rot, implicating the police, the mob, and even the legacy of the Wayne family itself. Dano commits fully; his final-act breakdown is one of the most disturbing performances in any comic-book film. For fans of methodically constructed real-villain puzzles, it scratches the same itch as the best entries on our list of best true crime documentaries.
The supporting cast holds its weight
- Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman brings warmth and a flicker of romance; her chemistry with Pattinson is one of the film's pleasures.
- Jeffrey Wright as Lt. James Gordon is the closest thing Batman has to a friend, grounding the detective scenes.
- Colin Farrell is unrecognizable under prosthetics as a scene-stealing Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot), so good he earned his own HBO spinoff.
- Andy Serkis plays a quieter, more wounded Alfred Pennyworth.
- John Turturro is chillingly calm as mob boss Carmine Falcone.
Underscoring all of it is Michael Giacchino's pounding, four-note Batman theme — funereal and instantly iconic.
How long is The Batman, and what is it rated?
Let's address the elephant. The The Batman runtime and rating are the most-Googled practical concerns, so here are the facts: it runs 2 hours and 56 minutes and is rated PG-13 (for strong violence and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material).
That runtime is the honest reason some viewers bounce off it. The film earns most of its length — but a slightly baggy middle stretch is the trade-off for its patient, breathe-with-it pacing. The PG-13 is also worth flagging: despite the certificate, this is a bleak, grisly film that pushes the rating to its absolute edge. It only feels "long" if you expected an action movie; as a detective story, the pace is the point. If marathon runtimes don't faze you, you'll have no trouble with our roundup of the best movie trilogies either.
How does The Batman end, and who is the Joker cameo?
Spoiler-aware territory, kept deliberately light. By the finale, the Riddler's plan escalates from targeted murders to a city-wide attack that floods Gotham, forcing Batman to physically pull survivors from the water — the literal moment he stops being a creature of vengeance and becomes a rescuer. The The Batman ending explained in one line: Bruce chooses hope over rage, and the film closes on that pivot.
Then there's the The Batman Joker cameo explained: with the Riddler locked in Arkham, he strikes up a giddy, conspiratorial friendship with the inmate in the next cell — an unseen figure, caked in clown makeup, with an unmistakable cackle. That's the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan in an uncredited "Unseen Arkham Inmate" role. It's a tease, not a tentpole, seeding future threats rather than promising an immediate showdown. This sets up The Batman Part II, and — to answer the other common question — this whole world stands apart from the main DC Universe, so you don't need to have seen anything else.
How it compares — and where to go next
As a pure piece of filmmaking, this sits comfortably alongside the genre's heavyweights. If you love grounded, director-driven blockbusters, pair it with our Christopher Nolan movies ranked and our Dune: Part Two review — Greig Fraser shot both, and the visual DNA is shared. It's also a worthy companion to recent ambitious adult dramas like the one in our Oppenheimer review.
The bottom line
The Batman is a confident, atmospheric, occasionally exhausting triumph — the rare comic-book movie that wants to be a great film first and a franchise machine second. Pattinson is the best Batman in years, Dano's Riddler is genuinely frightening, and Reeves' rain-drenched Gotham is unforgettable. It is too long, and the PG-13 darkness won't suit every mood. But if you can give it the three hours, it pays the gamble off in full. Highly recommended — just clear your evening first.
Further reading: Robert Pattinson on Wikipedia · Where to watch on JustWatch.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Batman (2022) worth watching?
Yes, with one caveat. If you want a moody detective story and can commit to nearly three hours, it's one of the best Batman films ever made. If you want fast, quippy superhero spectacle, the deliberate pace may test your patience. For most viewers, the atmosphere, Pattinson's performance, and the Riddler mystery more than earn the runtime. It holds an 85% critics and 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so the consensus lands firmly on the 'yes' side.
How long is The Batman and why is it so long?
The Batman runs 2 hours and 56 minutes (176 minutes), among the longest superhero films ever. The length comes from its structure: it's built as a serial-killer detective procedural rather than an action movie, so Matt Reeves lets crime scenes, interrogations, and the Riddler's escalating puzzle-box plot breathe instead of cutting to the next set piece. The runtime is the honest reason some viewers bounce off it, and a slightly baggy middle stretch is the trade-off for that patient pacing.
Why is The Batman rated PG-13 instead of R?
Despite its grisly Zodiac-inspired murders and bleak tone, The Batman is rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material. Warner Bros. kept it PG-13 for the widest possible audience, but Reeves pushes that rating to its limit. The film feels far darker than the certificate suggests, which is why some international boards rated it higher (the UK's BBFC gave it a 15).
Who is the villain in The Batman?
The main villain is the Riddler, played by Paul Dano as a masked, Zodiac-Killer-style serial murderer who targets Gotham's corrupt elite and broadcasts his crimes online. Colin Farrell's Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot) and John Turturro's mob boss Carmine Falcone are key supporting antagonists, and a Joker played by Barry Keoghan appears in a brief, uncredited Arkham cameo.
What happens at the end of The Batman, and is it part of the DCU?
Spoiler-aware: the Riddler floods Gotham and is captured, but in Arkham he bonds with an unseen inmate, a cackling Joker played by Barry Keoghan, teasing future threats. The film ends with Batman pivoting from vengeance toward hope, physically pulling survivors from the floodwaters. This Batman lives in its own standalone universe, separate from the main DC Universe, so you don't need to have seen anything else. The story continues in The Batman Part II.
Who plays Batman in The Batman (2022)?
Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne / Batman, and this review rates him as the best Batman in years. He portrays a recessive, haunted recluse, pale and eyeliner-smudged, more comfortable behind the cowl than out of it. This is a 'year two' Batman still figuring out who he is. Pattinson trades the gravelly bark and smirking confidence of past Batmen for restraint, giving Bruce a genuine arc from agent of vengeance to symbol of hope rather than a static pose.
Is there a post-credits or end-credits scene in The Batman?
There is no traditional post-credits scene in the usual Marvel sense. Instead, after the credits begin, the screen displays a green Riddler-style web address that, when visited, revealed a cryptic 'goodbye' message tied to the Riddler's online following. The film's true tease comes before the credits: the Joker cameo in Arkham seeding future threats. Don't expect a mid-credits or post-credits action sequence; the setup for The Batman Part II is woven into the finale itself.
How much money did The Batman make at the box office?
The Batman grossed $772.8 million worldwide against a roughly $185 to $200 million production budget, making it one of 2022's biggest films. That breaks down to about $369.8 million domestically and $403 million internationally. The strong commercial performance, combined with critical acclaim, fast-tracked both the HBO spinoff series The Penguin starring Colin Farrell and the sequel The Batman Part II, which is scheduled for release on October 1, 2027.
Do I need to watch other DC movies before The Batman?
No. The Batman is a complete standalone story set in its own continuity, separate from the main DC Universe and the older DCEU films. It introduces its own version of Bruce Wayne, Gotham, and the rogues' gallery from scratch, so no prior viewing is required. If you enjoy it, the natural next steps within this same universe are the spinoff series The Penguin (2024) and the upcoming sequel The Batman Part II, not the wider DC slate.
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