The Batman Parent Review written by the Unicorn (Kate) and the Ent on March 10th, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: The Batman
Rating: PG-13
Age Suggestion: 15+
Running Time: 3 hours
Release Date: March 4, 2022
Warnings: Dark subject matter, heavy violence, strong language, mild references to sex
Quick The Batman Summary
Gotham City has been overrun by crime, and Batman is trying to figure out who all is behind it. As a terrifying killer teases him with clues, and starts to hurt those he cares about, he needs to team up with unlikely allies to solve the clues and stop the killer before something even worse happens. The Batman takes a lot of influence from The Long Halloween and the Arkham Video Game Series in story and atmosphere.
The Batman Parent Review
-Is The Batman Appropriate for Younger Kids?-
This is a darker superhero movie than your standard Marvel fare. It contains heavy violence, several conversations surrounding people suffering from drug addiction, strong language consistently throughout the movie while keeping its PG-13 rating, potential animal abuse, and general creepiness, suspense, with several gross scenes involving blood and severed limbs.
A Note for Foster/Adoptive Families
A Large portion of The Batman revolves around Bruce’s identity as an orphan. In this movie, he is pretty young and is consistently butting heads with his guardian, Alfred. This is seen very clearly when Aflred is showing concern for Bruce’s actions and Bruce yells back “You are not my father!” This was a heartbreaking scene because of how much that statement immediately affects both of them.
The Riddler gives a riddle about growing up as a seed and being as tough as a weed. The riddle is specifically about Bruce and the answer is ‘an orphan’ which leads them to an abandoned orphanage. The fact that being an orphan is used as a weapon towards Batman may be triggering for some viewers who have been through similar situations.
-Characters & Acting-
Both leads Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz do a fantastic job in this film. You can see the pain and sadness on Robert’s face when he is both Batman and Bruce Wayne, but especially when he is Bruce. He is also very intimidating as Batman. Zoe does a good adding depth to her character of Selina, and I enjoyed her portrayal. Paul Dano is great as the Riddler, he is genuinely terrifying and made me feel sick to my stomach. I also enjoyed both Jeffery Wright as Lt. Gordon and Colin Farrell as Penguin. All the characters felt well developed, and each of them feel unique.
-Script & Story-
The story was pretty good in the first half of the movie. It felt like a crime thriller as we watched Batman, Lt. Gordon, and Alfred solving the Riddler’s clues. The story felt like it was unfolding naturally. The second half was not as much my favorite, and it dragged in places. It didn’t feel like it deserved the 3-hour runtime, but it wasn’t too bad. The story felt like it was complete, with each character getting their arch.
-Film Quality-
This film is stunning! I absolutely loved the cinematography, and the lighting/lack of lighting. It is a very dark film, but that makes the lighting even more important, because it then emphasizes the things that the filmmakers want you to see in an interesting way. The costumes were interesting too, my favorite was the Riddler’s. It got across who he was in a fresh way, as opposed to his classic question mark suit. The makeup was cool too, most interestingly being the choice to leave Bruce in his Batman make-up some of the time. I also really liked Selina’s makeup.
Lessons from The Batman
The Batman Discussion Questions *mild spoilers*
1) Do you think that Batman is a hero?
2) Gotham City seems like a pretty scary place. Do you think that it is worth saving? Why or why not?
3) How did you feel about the Riddler? What did you think of his mission to “expose the lies”?
4) How did Bruce’s parents’ death affect him? How does that affect him when he is Batman?
5) What is another way that the Riddler could have accomplished his mission without killing and hurting people?
Thanks for reading The Batman Parent Review. Here’s what to check out next.
-Learn about Types of Adoption through Superheroes
–Spider-man: No Way Home Review
–The Eternals Review
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