Netflix is about to remove the best superhero movie of the decade

Some have argued that it's also the best film featuring its lead superhero ever.

The 2022 film saw Robert Pattinson step into the shoes of billionaire Bruce Wayne, with its story focusing on his early years as the caped vigilante Batman.

The movie sees him pursuing a sadistic killer plaguing Gotham known as The Riddler (Paul Dano), who leaves behind him a trail of cryptic clues.

The Dark Knight's investigation results in him crossing paths with many major figures in his city's underworld, including gangster Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), his underling Oz Cobb/Penguin (Colin Farrell) and burglar Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz).

"As the scale of The Riddler's plans becomes clear, Batman must bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that plagues the metropolis," the plot synopsis reads.

Co-written and directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), the superhero flick also features Andy Serkis, Barry Keoghan, Jeffrey Wright and Peter Sarsgaard.

Upon release, The Batman was a smash hit with both audiences and critics - earning praise for its detective noir-inspired story and visuals, its gritty performances, its action set-pieces and its soundtrack.

In fact, at the time of its release, JOE made the big claim that it was even better than Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

A sequel has been in the works for the past few years, while the film also spawned an equally beloved 2024 spin-off TV series.

Titled The Penguin, the show focused on Farrell's character.

As for The Batman, you can check out some of the glowing reviews for the blockbuster here:

Chicago Reader: "Robert Pattinson shuts all his haters up with a vulnerable and terrifying performance in Matt Reeves’s The Batman."

Houston Chronicle: "(Matt Reeves) transcends the clichés with a masterful, often tense and noir-as-night twist on the mythology that ranks with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight as the best of all the Batman movies."

National Newspaper Publishers Association: "Reeves, Pattison and the talented cast and crew have created a crime/action/drama extraordinaire. A close to perfect superhero film that nips at the heels of the untouchable The Dark Knight."

Slate: "I left it still humming that Nirvana song and wondering what this messed-up new Bruce Wayne, cape streaming moodily behind him as he rode away on his bat-motorcycle, would get up to next."

The Batman was added to Netflix in the UK and Ireland last December.

It will be removed from the streaming giant next month, however.

Monday, 16 June will be Netflix users' last day to watch the superhero flick on the service.