Did we *need* another Batman movie? No. We absolutely did not. Am I still interested in Matt Reeves’ The Batman? Sure, I legitimately am interested. I think the idea of Batman-as-noir-detective is a much better basis for a Batman film than “omg, his parents died, watch him mope around in a bat cave for two hours because of it.” I’m also intrigued by the fact that Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman seems so front-and-center in all of the promotion. Is Batdude in a full-fledged relationship? Is he co-parenting kittens with Catlady? As I said, it’s intriguing. All that being said, I CANNOT with this run time. Apparently, the cut of The Batman which will be in theaters in March is two hours and fifty-five minutes long. CAN WE NOT.
Fans can expect three full hours of Robert Pattinson superhero action. The official runtime for The Batman, the forthcoming iteration of the DC Comics Caped Crusader starring the Twilight alum in the titular role, was confirmed Thursday as 2 hours and 55 minutes including the credits, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Additionally, the Motion Picture Association announced last week that the film received a PG-13 rating for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”
For comparison, The Batman’s length nearly matches that of Marvel’s Avengers: Engame, which clocked in at 3 hours and 1 minute and broke box office records in 2019. Recent release Spider-Man: No Way Home is 2 hours and 28 minutes, and the director’s cut Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max last year, is a massive 4 hours and 2 minutes long.
The R-rated Joker — which won an Oscar for star Joaquin Phoenix — was 2 hours and 2 minutes, and the lengthiest entry in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy was 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, which is 2 hours and 44 minutes.
The Dark Knight Rises was too long. So was Batman Begins. The Dark Knight was also pretty long but it was (arguably) the best film of the trilogy and it had the best “flow” when it came to the story. And let me tell you something else: this film is going to be literally dark as hell. None of the Batman directors (save Tim Burton) believe in lighting their films properly. It will be nearly three f–king hours of watching Batdude fumble around in the dark, looking for the keys to the Batmobile because he wants to get out of Catlady’s apartment before she wakes up! It would be one thing if we were seeing three hours of a brilliant story unfold in a series of well-lit rooms. It’s quite another to sit for three hours, feeling like a mole person because you can’t see anything on the screen. Do I sound old? I AM OLD. I am too old to watch a dark AF three-hour Batman movie.
Posters & promotional images courtesy of Warner Bros.
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Omg, please get some proper lighting! I can’t see a damn thing in these goofy dark movies
Yes! Especially when there’s action. I can’t tell what’s going on
Also, 3 hours? No thank you. I’d have to pause midway for a pee break. No way am I paying $18 to see it in theaters with everyone coughing up a storm like they did when I tried to see Spiderman.
I can’t with these dark barely lit films. Nearly 3 hours of a dark film? No just no.
I know! There are some situations where it works, where you aren’t supposed to see everything, but entire films and shows are like this now.
Preach!!!!! Why do they do that? How are we supposed to see anything? What am I doing wrong possibly? Oof
I watched the Irishman in theaters. I think can handle a 3 hr long Batman film 😁. Although it doesn’t sound very wise to be at the movie theater with a bunch of people for that long amount of time. Let’s hope things are better by March so we can enjoy this mess at the theaters.
I’m with you, Kaiser. 100% nope. Love the Netflix category ’90 minute movies’ – THAT’S what we need more of. These days, there’s way too much breathless reverence for the “auteur” vision and not enough judicious editing in service of the actual story.
I had no idea that was a category! Love it. I’ve watched a few 90’s movies lately and I love that most of them run for about that time. That’s enough entertainment for me most nights.
So agree. These people really need to grasp the difference between literal and metaphorical darkness. It’s like that battle with the Night King in GoT. One Twitter wag posted two photos that summed it up – 1. Pitch black 2. Flames.
Not being able to see anything is not atmospheric, it’s annoying.
Yours
Another Old Person
+1
I feel old too. I can barely sit through a 120min movie. I’ll wait for it to hit streaming.
Nope, nope nope nope. These movies are all just getting too long. and I know I sound old, but whatever, I’m the one who would pay for my kids to go and I’d go with them, so it matters that I (and others in my situation) think its too long, lol.
We did not go to see the Eternals in the theater solely because of its run time.
My husband gets so annoyed at me bc its my main complaint after almost every movie….”its too long. It could have been a half hour shorter.” (or in the case of Endgame, 2 hours and 45 minutes shorter.) I get that its art and that directors take it seriously yada yada yada. But there is almost no way that every superhero movie has to be almost three hours. I’m not saying it has to be 90 minutes. But it can definitely be 2 hours.
I think this is why I like “big” series so much, like Wheel of Time and the Witcher – they have big budgets and tell big stories, but break them down into segments, so I don’t have to sit there for three hours. And even if I watch three episodes in a row, because of how the episodes are set up, I think it leads to better storytelling.
I agree on all counts.
And seriously, The Witcher was da bomb 😍
The Witcher is amazing and I’m so bummed I finished the second season so fast but I couldn’t stop. I have to say though as a fellow old person some of the scenes, especially the night fight scenes, were so dark I could hardly see anything even watching at night with the lights off.
I too am old but I am here for it. I survived Endgame in the cinema so this will be doable. I cannot wait to see this film. All hail Battinson!!
Same here! I don’t mind if a movie is long, as long as it’s good. I’d rather have a good 3 hour movie than have it all chopped up in editing so that it feels rushed, all to meet some arbitrary time standard. This movie looks great so far, can’t wait to see it.
I am ready for every minute of it! I love Batman, and it’s been 10 years since The Dark Knight Rises (which was meh), so I’m ready for a new Batman stand alone movie. Especially based on the comics source material.
Matt Reves is a great director and I’m really liking what we’ve seen of Pattinson in the role.
Bring every dark, emo and action-filled moment on!
I am also here for it! I’ve been a Batman fan for so long, and Bat and Cat are my OTP.
If you can’t cut the movie down to 2 hours, you’re not doing a good job. Anything over 2 hours in unnecessary.
Anything longer than that is more about the directors ego, than it is about the audience and movies as an artform.
100% this. Editing is a skill. Long movies are all about a director’s ego and lack of that skill.
No. I just can’t. I used to like Batman movies, but they keep making the same movie over and over again and it needs to stop. Hollywood is behaving like a toddler that always wants the same book read to them fifteen, thirty times a day. It’s exhausting. And yes, they won’t light it properly because they think murk gives it more gravitas. It’s so childish and exhausting. If they’d just spend less per movie they could afford to take risks on original screenplays and new ideas, and movies might be exciting again.
Anyone know, does a movie’s runtime include the closing credits? I ask only because credits can run 15-20 minutes on films these days.
I read that the credits run about 10 minutes, so movie is right at 2 hrs 45 minutes. For me that’s totally doable. I will see this movie in IMAX, not sitting home. I’ve been vaxed and boosted and will wear double masks if needed.
This post cracked me up Kaiser!
He looks so different with and without the mask on. Is he required to talk like Christian Bale’s Batman? They sound the same to me. Don’t think this needed to be made AGAIN, but I’ll probably watch it once it’s streaming, but 3 hours is too long… might take me two nights.
Whatever. It’s yet another Batman movie. If COVID case numbers are down where I live by then I might see it in theaters, or I’ll wait for streaming. At that length I’ll probably just wait. It’s just more Batman, no rush. 🙄
There is no excuse for a superhero movie to be over 2 hours.
And there is no reason for it.
It is not film noir.
I enjoy some (mostly marvel) superhero movies. You know, the ones that have humor.
Well actually this movie is being touted as film noir and based on Matt Reeves vision, it’s not just some super hero movie, keeping in mind Batman doesn’t have real super powers. Batman is at heart, a detective and uses his strengths to his advantage. Theme song for the movie is Kurt Cobain’s Something in the Way. It’s going to be dark but no aliens from other planets will appear, thank goodness.
I feel like if your script is clocking in at three hours, at a certain point you need to concede that you’re telling the story in the wrong format and pivot to a limited series. They probably could’ve expanded this into a fantastic six or eight hours on HBO.
I sat through those long-ass LOTR movies, so I can definitely sit through this one, lol
I’m hoping to be able to see this in the theatre for sure.
Also, I LOVE that description of Batman trying to gtfo of Catlady’s apartment, lol!
LOL I sat through the long-ass LOTR movies when I and my bladder were twenty years younger lol.
I stopped watching batman by choice when michael keaton left. I have no idea why people like it so much, it’s just depressing and dark. Ain’t no way I will watch this, but I will def see scenes here and there bc my husband will watch it
The 2 after Keaton were pretty rough. I did really like the Nolan trilogy though. Haven’t had much interest since them. I unfortunately watched the Batman Superman one on a plane and it was terrible. Unless this gets rave reviews, I’m likely skipping it or catching it when it’s streaming. In pieces, because 3 hours is too long.
I’d spend 3 hours just watching this guy reading the phone book and I think he’s going to be an amazing Batman but like the rest of us over-21-year-olds, I’m going to struggle with the darkness. Just plan annoying,
I am optimistic that Pattinson does something interesting with the character. I am not a fan of the superhero movies, and only watched Dr Strange because of Cumberbatch and Swinton. I understand the draw of a big paycheck; I just hope that the artists use the money in order to go on to create films of meaning as well. RDJ, I am looking at you. I’ll beg!! 😉
I’m old. But I don’t do theaters, a long movie simply means tucking in with a good blanket, snacks, ambient light and our big ass tv with theater sound lol. I say bring it. Dark and moody are my thang. 😁
There’s no way I’m going to make it thru a 3-hr movie without at least one, maybe two, bathroom breaks. Popcorn is salty and those theater sodas are large (even the small ones).
I’ll wait till it goes to streaming, so I can pause it whenever I want.
RPatz is an excellent actor but I’m over movies (and streaming shows) and definitely over Batman and other superhero franchises. Recently came across an article that was basically saying it’s okay if you’re losing track of plots and forgetting which streaming show goes with which plotline/detail. That’s how much binge-watching things has become accepted in our popular culture (partly because journalists and publications earn advert revenue from streaming providers).
My gosh, your time would be better off in meditation, exercise, reading, audiobooks, or something else less passive and brain-limiting. Watching stuff means you’re in a highly suggestible, passive state. You want to be careful about what you allow into your brain with the visual content out there.
Even the trailer is too long.