The Batman hits cinemas in just two days, on Friday, March 4. The movie introduces a brand new version of Bruce Wayne, this time played by Robert Pattinson. The reviews for the film came out at the beginning of the week and so far it has received a slew of five-star impressions across the board. It has even reached an incredible 86 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the film’s runtime has left some critics a little cold on the movie.

The Batman is one of the longest Dark Knight films ever made. Its total runtime without credits is two hours and 56 minutes – almost three entire hours. This long runtime is used diligently, however, as the various plot lines and their intricacies are explored thoroughly. However, some people have already started complaining about its length.

Comparatively, The Dark Knight was only two hours 35 minutes, while The Dark Knight Rises 

With that said, director Reeves has now responded to these criticisms.

Reeves assured his fans: “Once you see the movie, I think that [the runtime] ceases to be an issue.” He went on to defend the length of the movie, adding: “It’s immersive, it takes you along and it keeps you engrossed.” (Via The New York Times) The Planet of the Apes director also revealed that the film was originally much different, as well.

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Pattinson was told during an interview: “For you Robert, The Batman is the first Batman movie since Batman Returns to be rated a 15 in the UK.”

“Is it?! No way!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t even know! Oh no it’s a disaster! Dark Knight wasn’t a 15?” That’s correct. All three instalments of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy were rated just 12A in UK cinemas. In fact, the last Batman movies that had a higher rating than 12 were Tim Burton’s Batman films (1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns).

Despite its mature rating, The Batman has received rave reviews. I gave it five stars and noted how impressive Pattinson’s performance was.

What’s more, the film has already been predicted to earn more than $100 million at the box office. But will this be enough for Warner Bros to commission a sequel to the film?

The Batman hits cinemas on Friday.

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