Parents' Guide to

The Batman

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Confident and mature yet dark, violent Batman reboot.

Movie PG-13 2022 175 minutes
The Batman Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you willā€”and won'tā€”find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 73 parent reviews

age 13+

"The Batman" Isn't Meant for kids, It's meant for those who understand Batman

As someone who reads and digests almost every form of media Batman, I can say this Batman walked up to the plate and knocked a home run. Its some of the best acting, best story, best cinematography you'll ever see. That's if you understand what "The Batman" is. a Comic book movie, I don't mean family friendly, I mean accurate to the characters Comic Series. Both this movie and "Spiderman: No-way-home" are comic book movies, but on the surface look black and white. That's because Batman in general is not a family friendly crime fighting super hero like spiderman who drops one liners while fighting. He is dark, he uses violence, the villains are cruel and inhumane. There is corruption everywhere, abuse of power and inhumane practices, this movie takes all of those and puts it into one of the best movies you'll watch if you know what's going on. Both my 13 and 15 year old sons love Batman just as much as I do, we always get the newest comics and always sit down to watch the movies together as soon as they come out. Which is why we enjoyed it, we understood what Batman is, don't bring your child to this movie expecting a fun, bright color, light hearted movie. Only bring your child if they are a decent amount of a bit above average batman fan, they will understand it way more and won't be shocked at some of the aspects. I ain't saying this movie is meant for younger people as long as they understand batman. I am saying know the audience member your bringing, Kids who don't read batman and just know him as a rich guy in a suit fighting crime, aren't most likely gonna enjoy this movie. This is one of the best Comic book movies of all time but there are some things you will need to know like. * There is a decent amount of swearing in this stuff like the f bomb [Bats*it] [Son of a Bi*tch] [Sh*t] and a few more however there is not much as I counted only 9 times it swore. * Violence in this movie is a decent amount, however the actual aftermath of the violence isn't shown, The Batman in this is absolutely brutal in combat however you don't see what the criminals body looks like after they have been beaten up. Just like how the Riddler the main villain who is a serial killer, mashes some ones head in with a pipe at the beginning of the film, you see it happening however don't see much blood and don't see the actual head mashed. also a few jokes like someone's thumb missing and batman uses it for one of the only jokes in the movie. * This film is meant to be depressing, as I have said before, it isn't meant to be bright and fun and colorful, its meant to be dark, depressing and shows you the true batman, Bruce Wayne/Batman [Robert Pattinson] is playing more of a depressed/emo type of person then the standard Playboy Billionaire. This means that the film involves things like Drinking, Drugs and smoking, however these are all very minor. * There is no sex scenes in this film however there are parts in the movie where women are in their under garments and men treat women in this film somewhat sexually. There are a few kisses and one passionate, and Bruce Wayne does have his shirt off for a few scenes. * No consumerism other then Oreos but that's in a post credit scene. * How you view Batman in this film as a role model is completely up to you. He does use violence in this film a decent amount however uses his mind even more to think of a good solution. The others like Jim Gordon and Catwomen are both morally good people in a corrupt system, so you can use this as a "No matter what, always be good at least under the surface" lesson, so it does get the Great Role Models from me and a Great message of its better to be a sign of Hope and Justice then Vengeance. Overall, I believe that if your kid is not a decent batman fan but wants to come with or watch the film, watch the trailer and see if you think they would enjoy it. But if your kid is a batman fan who can understand both Batman and Bruce Wayne, then buckle in for some of the best 3 hours of Batman you will ever see.
age 12+

Read this for a accurate age review for the Batman..

Soā€¦ this film is a masterpiece.. itā€™s absolutely amazing. I loved every second of itā€¦ It has incredible cinematography and action and dialogue and acting and so much more!!! Butā€¦ this film is decently violent and very mature in some spots.. in the first 5 minutes there is a scene where the ā€œriddlerā€ sneaks up behind someone and beats them until theyā€™re knocked out with a tool. Then duct tapes there face upā€¦ the riddler is very dark and brutal in this film. It doesnā€™t show any cuts or stabbings or slicing people but it does show them getting knocked out. And there is a scene where a car crashes into a funeral and somebody gets out with a bomb attached to him and he has got blood all over him (from the crash) itā€™s nothing a 12 year old canā€™t handle though. It does sound worse on paper/online, than it actually is though. There is also a scene where Batman and Cat women go into a club and there are pole dancers, no naked girls or anything but they are on decently tight outfits. But again, even if you donā€™t think so, trust me, 12 year olds and over would hear lots of wearing and sex talk in the school yard anyway. The action scenes arenā€™t bad. Thereā€™s a few scenes where Batman punches thugs really hard but itā€™s not that bad. The only thing Iā€™d be concerned about this film is the riddler. He is pretty crazy and messed up. Every murder that he does it shows him capturing them and knocking him out, but otherwise thatā€™s pretty much it. It does sound worse than it actually is in theatreā€™sā€¦ also the movie is very loud so if you donā€™t cope well with loud noises then maybe wait for it to come out onto a streaming service or DVD. But overall this film is amazing. Iā€™d call it the best Batman film ever and Iā€™ve seen every single one. Iā€™m a big batman fan and I can say that this is a must see even if you donā€™t really like Batman, still see it. So in the end, Iā€™d recommend this film for anyone 12 and over. It does have some violence and very mature themes but if your child knows that itā€™s fake and not real then theyā€™ll be fine. If youā€™re child is really mature and theyā€™re 10 or 11 Iā€™d say itā€™s fine too. Although no one under 10 should see this.. anyway thanks for reading my review, I hoped it helped!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (73 ):
Kids say (187 ):

This riveting take on Batman is, refreshingly, more of a detective story than an action spectacle -- although it does offer that element, too, as well as complex characters and relevant themes. Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman makes wise adjustments in just about every respect, finding a solution for Christian Bale's aggravating growl/whisper line delivery (Pattinson speaks softly, but he never strains) and for the soulless, gray color scheme of the Zack Snyder movies. Reeves' movie is dark (and often rainy), but he bathes the images in a warmer brown tone, with orange and yellow highlights, bringing a weariness and a desperation to the proceedings. And, while there are many villains here, the film -- unlike the 1990s sequels -- never feels cluttered. The Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin (a completely disguised Colin Farrell), etc., each occupy their own space in the story.

Moreover, Batman is more human and vulnerable here, "oofing" at the impact of blows and occasionally getting winded. Blessed with Pattinson's wounded, armored performance, this is arguably the most interesting character arc we've seen in a Batman movie. At the start, he sees himself as an avenging angel, but as the story goes on, he learns that things aren't that simple, that there are gray areas. There are consequences. A third-act climax touches on the dangers of misinformation and social media, paralleling certain terrifying real-life events. Reeves needed a lot of time to lay all this out, as well as some much-needed downtime to build characters and relationships; the result is that The Batman clocks in at a jaw-dropping 2 hours and 55 minutes. But it honestly never feels too long. It's arguably the most confident and mature Batman film to date and one of the best.

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