The Batman (2022)

Matt Reeves made a Batman movie that runs 176 minutes and still squeezes in another ending after the first one wraps up. That’s the honest complaint. The last stretch drags, and Bruce Wayne’s voiceover diary gets a little much. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce like a guy who hasn’t slept or opened a curtain since he put on the cape, and it works, because this is the first Batman that actually feels like a detective story. It rains basically the whole time, Gotham looks like a city that gave up on daylight, and every punch lands heavy. Paul Dano’s Riddler is truly unsettling, a man who streams his clues online like a creepy podcast host. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as the Penguin and having the time of his life. Jeffrey Wright’s Gordon is the friend Batman doesn’t deserve. A 7.8 because it’s moody, smart and gorgeous, it just needed one less ending. $40.89 says you play Nirvana on the next rainy day and stare out the window like it’s your job.

What works: It finally makes Batman a real detective, and Paul Dano’s Riddler and Colin Farrell’s Penguin are both great villains.

What doesn’t: At 176 minutes it overstays, the last act stacks endings, and the voiceover diary gets heavy-handed.

Who it’s for: People who want their Batman closer to a gritty crime mystery than a superhero blockbuster.