These Brutal Fan Reviews Prove Not Everyone Loved The Riddler In The Batman

The following article contains spoilers for "The Batman."

"The Batman" is out in theaters now, and the overwhelming consensus appears to be that it's another knockout story for the Dark Knight. The movie currently has a critics' score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92% from audiences. It's amassed tens of thousands of reviews on IMDb, presently standing at a rating of 8.8/10, ranking among some of the best superhero movies of all time. People love the darker take on the character that sees the titular Caped Crusader do actual detective work for a change and prove why he's the greatest mind in Gotham.

Of course, you know the old saying, "Everyone's a critic." There are naturally those who aren't quite as taken with the latest Batman adventure, and they have no problem letting their opinions known across social media. In particular, there appears to be a wide subset of people who weren't satisfied with the performance of Paul Dano as the latest iteration of the Riddler.

Paul Dano's Riddler is unlike any variation of the character we've seen before. In the past, Riddler has always loved puzzles and ciphers, but usually, he's been a bit goofier. As evidence of this, you just need to watch Jim Carrey in 1995's "Batman Forever." This time around, he may still love a good riddle, but he leaves them behind at grisly crime scenes after he's just committed murder. He's a force of nature who makes everyone in Gotham sleep with one eye open, especially if they're a part of the corrupt elite, but for some viewers, this version of Riddler left something to be desired.

For a lot of people, their problem with Dano's Riddler was the fact that it just didn't feel like the Riddler they've come to know and love over the years. One Twitter user, @FormerlyCBM, wrote, "Once again, the Riddler was too Jokeresque. Not terrible, just not the Riddler." Meanwhile, @deanholz13 thought the movie should've gone with a different antagonist all together if they weren't going to do Riddler correct in their view: "Why use the riddler if you're gonna butcher his character? Hush would've been much better or [Anarky]. Terrible." Perhaps that fan will get their wish considering the pantheon of clues suggesting Hush could be the villain in a future sequel to "The Batman."

Then there were those who just plain didn't like the performance, like @carriesnotscary writing, "paul dano's gift is that i'll never be able to tell if his acting is very good or very bad." @reece_d_steel felt the same way: "I know this will be controversial, but Paul Dano was... kinda bad. So over the top and laughably goofy. Felt like he was trying way too hard to invoke John Doe from Se7en and Ledger's Joker." You can't please them all, and it seems like these fans will likely hope Riddler stays locked up in "The Batman 2."

A few people not liking a performance is to be expected, but when you look at critics' reviews, it's clear there's a lot of love for this particular portrayal. One person may have thought this Riddler was trying too hard to be John Doe from "Se7en," but according to Kimber Myers of Crooked Marquee, "There's something truly disturbed about Dano's version of The Riddler. He feels genuinely dangerous here, less like the comic book villain played by Jim Carrey and Frank Gorshin [who played Riddler in the 1960s 'Batman' series], and more like Seven's John Doe, a sick mastermind with elaborately staged kills that are soaked in as much meaning as they are in blood."

And it's not just professional critics who have a soft spot for this particular Riddler. Back on Twitter, @StarlightStann wrote, "Even though I love a goofy Riddler, the horror side of the character that Paul Dano brought out was fantastic. Every time he is on screen it is unsettling." It may be a different Riddler from what people are used to, but @nightwaynes loved it, writing, "Also can't get over how incredible and terrifying Paul Dano was as The Riddler such a perfect choice villain for this movie and Paul definitely gave one of the greatest CBM villain performances of all time."

Everyone goes into a movie with different wants and expectations. You can't please everybody, but given the response to "The Batman" as a whole, the project seems like a runaway success.