After months of headlines, hype and curiosity, Hollywood's most-awaited gamble of the year is finally here. Batman finally unfurls his cape tonight at a star-studded premiere here. Eager fans will surely pack theaters when it opens nationwide Friday.
Early verdicts are mixed.
Time and Daily Variety don't like it. Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter do. That's mainly because no one is viewing Batman as just a summer movie. Robin the Boy Wonder is absent from the film version. The Caped Crusader goes it alone when he takes on the evil Joker, who's contaminating cosmetics with a formula that melts victims' faces.