Fans attending a showing of The Batman were surprised by unannounced guests.Posted on Twitter, one moviegoer reveals that their showing featured actual bats flying about the theater. It appears that the unannounced visitors interrupted the showing, being that the film is paused during a scene early on, featuring Andy Serkis' Alfred Pennyworth and star Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. The tweet has gone viral, with the user later commenting that, "They're saying that someone snuck the bats into the theater."
For a character called the "Batman," it should come as no surprise that bats would be an important motif for the character. Bruce Wayne's decision to assume the Batman identity came after a bat crashed through his window, which he took as a sign for what he must become. The Batman is the first film since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to actually include the flying mammals, though there is no scene of a young Bruce Wayne being levitated by a swarm of them this time around.
Instead, The Batman is a completely new, live-action take on the beloved superhero. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, the film explores an established Batman going through his second year fighting crime in Gotham City. This Bruce Wayne is not alone though, being that the film also features other fan-favorites like Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and the Riddler (Paul Dano), who serves as the primary antagonist.
The film has been received well by fans, holding an audience score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing. Following its release, fans posted their reactions on Twitter to debate whether the movie provides viewers with the best version of Batman seen onscreen thus far, which features a long history of portrayals. These portrayals also stretch across a wide range of acting styles and performances, with gritty takes like Christian Bale's Dark Knight to Adam West's goofy Caped Crusader from the '60s.
Pattinson is not the only Batman who will be on the big screen in 2022 though. This year's upcoming The Flash will not only include actor Ben Affleck's apparent last time donning the cowl following Zack Snyder's Justice League, but will also see Michael Keaton suit up once again as his version of Batman. Keaton portrayed the hero in both 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns. The last time this Batman universe was shown onscreen was in The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" television crossover event, which featured a brief cameo of actor Robert Wuhl reprising his role as reporter Alexander Knox.
The Batman is now playing exclusively in theaters. Whether any other showings will feature live bats remains to be seen.
Source: Twitter