The Batman reviews praise Matt Reeves’ direction, complain about ‘depressing, dark’ tone

Chicago Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper wrote, “In terms of tone and scope and storyline, Matt Reeves’ reboot of the ever-fruitful franchise is more of a film noir than a fable about fantastic flying creatures, more Zodiac and Seven than Guardians of the Galaxy or Eternals.”

“In Matt Reeves’ confident hands, everything is breathtakingly alive and new,” Christy Lemire wrote for RogerEbert.com. In another positive review, Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri wrote, “Reeves loves these dead-end apocalyptic environments, and delights in tales that toy with the moral calculus of typical hero narratives. He has given us a Batman that he himself can believe in, not to mention a Batman that feels right for our times.”

Negative reviews, however, pointed out that the film doesn’t push the boundaries with as much conviction as it thinks it does. Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times called it “depressing, dark and endless.” Mashable’s Kristy Puchko wrote, “Imagine if David Fincher made a Batman movie but it was censored to air on televisions at Walmart.”

Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, John Turturro and others, The Batman is slated to release on Friday, with previews on Thursday.