Matt Reeves' The Batman has had a rather strong debut with a near-perfect score at Rotten Tomatoes, but not everyone is happy with the film. Presenting Robert Pattinson as a new incarnation of the Dark Knight, the film is set in the modern world and draws upon some real-life elements to help shape the story. However, there are some moments that have drawn ire from Twitter critics labeling The Batman as too "woke." Before we move forward, be warned that there are SPOILERS AHEAD for The Batman.
One particular scene in The Batman that has drawn some controversy is a scene with Batman and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) speaking about the violent killings pulled off by the Riddler (Paul Dano). They touch upon the victims the Riddler has been choosing with Catwoman suggesting they had it coming, referring to them as "white privilege a*****es." The line of dialogue along with certain character castings have critics on Twitter lambasting the movie.
"Woke politics effecting the #Batman all the bad characters are white men. Falcon, penguin, riddler, Commissioner, chief, DA. Ignorant Rich white boy Bruce Wayne, morally corrupt politician Thomas Wayne but all the good guys are black. Gordon, Catwoman, mayor. Nice work Hollywood," one tweet reads.
Another Twitter user wrote, "in batman there is 1 line of Rascist dialogue. and there was NO need for that at all, it was pathetic and WOKE, and they used the word 'white men running gotham city' wtf was the point of that? and I actually saw the couple to my front left clearly show they were not happy."
"Rant incoming," another mini-review on Twitter begins. "I was about to concede the Captain Marvel point, but in second thought, I genuinely think Batman was still even more woke. EVERY f***ing scene had some nod to the ridiculous wokist movement! The mayor warning Bruce of redistribution of his private assets, for one."
Even some filmgoers who largely praised the film as a whole went on to criticize The Batman for its "woke" elements. As another tweet reads, "A little too much pandering in the film to the woke crowd, but overall the plot/dialogue was strong. I don’t think it’s fair actually to compare it to Dark Knight, because Dark Knight is just basically unbeatable in terms of acting/dialogue/plot/etc. But on its own, The Batman was definitely strong enough to start its own series (with the Joker at the end, etc.) and will probably have a good 3-4 film run over the next several years."
Another viewer wrote, "Just got out from The Batman. In my opinion, the best since the ‘89 movie. The film noir look and the detective focus with Batman was a welcome change. The cinematography was gorgeous & artistic. There are a couple of eye-rolling 'woke' lines but it doesn’t ruin the film."
The Batman Is a Hit Despite the Twitter Criticism
The Batman released to great success this weekend. Not only have the reviews been mostly positive, despite what some critics have said on Twitter, but the film has also been doing very well with its ticket sales as well. There had been a lot of pressure heading into the project as it's been a decade since fans have had a solo Batman movie in theaters, and the consensus is that the new movie delivers.
Multiple spinoffs are in the works at HBO Max. We will more than likely see The Batman 2 greenlit in the near future as well in light of the film's success. Even with some backlash on social media. director Matt Reeves and the entire cast and crew of The Batman can be very happy with how the anticipated release has turned out.
The Batman is now playing in movie theaters everywhere.