A new Batman. One might ask how could there possibly be a new Batman that is different than the ones we have already seen. We have seen him dark and gloomy. We have seen him grounded in reality. We have seen him fight men who can fly. Unfortunately, we have also seen him neon and ridiculous. Now, we can add gritty and brooding to the list.

The Batman features Robert Pattinson as our new caped crusader. He leans into the “World’s Greatest Detective” title Batman has earned in DC Comics more than we have ever seen before on the big screen. The approach is new and interesting, however, the 3 hour runtime does this a disservice.

When I first saw the original trailer for The Batman, I had hoped they would make it an R Rating rather than PG-13. I understand that would limit accessibility, but this was the right time, cast, feel, and plot to go for it. “Battinson” is in a world without Superman, similar to the Christian Bale version. You do not need to protect these other kid-friendly DC properties as they will never cross-over. This franchise could have stood out from the pack, much like (formerly Netflix’s) Daredevil Series.  Instead, they straddle the line of not really appropriate for kids and not violent enough to make it different from the rest.