The critics are loving Robert Pattinson in The Batman. Officially scheduled to release in movie theaters on March 4, the film has been screening early for the critics, many of whom have been putting their reviews of the anticipated movie on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s critical score has been labeled fresh with a 96% rating, a powerful debut for the new standalone Batman film from director Matt Reeves.

Of course, this number will likely fluctuate a bit as more reviews come in from critics, but if this is an indication of how well-received the film really is, that score probably won’t be falling too far. Debuting to a near-perfect score at 96% is also fantastic news for The Batman leading up to its wide release, as it will only help convince more filmgoers to buy a ticket to see the movie. We’ll see what the fans ultimately think, but some early reviews say Pattinson will become a new favorite Batman for many viewers.

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“This epic (nearly three-hour) new chapter in the evolution of the superhero is a new milestone for Pattinson, ranking among the best Batman movies and truly marking his re-entry into the big-ticket, movie mainstream,” writes Neil Pond of Parade Magazine.

“It’s a soulful nocturne of corruption and chaos, and as much as I longed for a few more glimmers of humor, at no point during the hefty three-hour run time did my attention wander,” says The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney.

Many critics are praising Matt Reeves for doing something different with the superhero movie genre. As Variety’s Peter Debruge explains, the film “registers among the best of the genre, even if — or more aptly, because — what makes the film so great is its willingness to dismantle and interrogate the very concept of superheroes.”

Despite its nearly three-hour runtime, other critics simply couldn’t get enough. Josie Melendez of the Film Posers Podcast says, “The Batman is a reinvention of the iconic vigilante with a powerhouse cast at the forefront, providing a masterclass of visual storytelling at the hands of Matt Reeves. I could’ve watched five hours of this.”

The Batman Is Meant to Launch an All-New Franchise

     Warner Bros. Pictures

This movie is set in a standalone universe that’s not connected to any previous movie released by DC Films and Warner Bros. Their goal is for this film to spawn its own franchise to run concurrently to the DCEU, which will have its own Batman wandering around with Michael Keaton back in that role. No sequels have been officially greenlit as of yet, but if the film smashes the box office as well as it’s expected to, The Batman 2 is inevitable.

At least two spinoff shows are also in the works. This includes one series following Colin Farrell’s Penguin, chronicling his rise from a petty criminal into one of Gotham City’s most fearsome supervillains. Another spinoff will follow the officers of the GCPD, but it’s unknown if Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon or Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman will appear in either of these shows.

The Batman will premiere in movie theaters on March 4, 2022.