batman begins review!

[cleofus1]

Well… I just got out of the BATMAN BEGINS screening and Holy Shit! This is the BATMAN movie we’ve been dreaming of for a long time. I know it is the Batman film I was dreaming of in May of 1988 when I read that script. Batman is scary. He’s scarier than the Scarecrow. Sure, the Scarecrow has his fear toxin… and when you see his face after the toxin got a hold of you… it’s scary, horrific and terrifying… But man… When you’re a corrupt cop upside down looking at a 17 story drop, hanging by god knows what staring into the face of some lunatic in a Bat mask interrogating you with a voice forged out of fucking hell… I realized… It isn’t the chin or even the eyes that make Batman… it’s that hideous scary as fuck voice and that he holds your life on a press of a button – and to that criminal… you have utterly no idea what his ethos is… He’s not in a uniform, he can’t be bought and there’s something utterly unhinged about him. Something insane, methodically insane. This isn’t a jokey Batman… This Batman is all business.
The way Nolan shoots Batman… he doesn’t pull back to show you how Batman does his tricks and torments. Instead he focuses on misdirection, quickness, ferocity and the end result. No longer will you see clumsy half-assed martial arts routines… and one point early in Wayne’s training Liam Neeson, before kicking Bruce’s ass says… “This isn’t a Dance,” when Wayne tries his learnt Kung Fu. Liam’s Ducard takes him down and begins to kick the shit out of him. It’s scary, fierce and unforgiving. And that’s exactly who and what Batman becomes. This isn’t fancy Fred Astaire neatly choreographed fights… This is brutal, tight and mean. Just incredible.
Half the time you never know where Batman is coming from. The focus is on the victim (criminal) instead of the hunter. Sometimes the blackness that grabs them comes from above, behind, beneath, beside… but never where you expect it. The first time Batman is full on hunting criminals is on a dock and this is scary. This isn’t some slow moving lunk in an all white Captain Kirk mask… you don’t see what’s hunting you… you can hear this flapping sound, something heavy moving beyond the edge of light and no matter where you fire, when you stop, you hear that sound somewhere else entirely, then suddenly BAM he’s got you. In many ways, this is a horror film for criminals. A ghost story that scum tells each other late at night… after a job, before a job. And man, I hope to God that somebody at Warners has signed everyone involved in this film on a 20 film contract… cuz this is a fierce Batman movie that just is unrelenting


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[Mojambo]

1. I saw it today. Best Superhero origin ever put to film.

I'm trying to decide which of 3 people to praise the most for this film.

David Goyer's story is just about perfect. The choice of the Scarecrow for one of the villains was utterly perfect. The entire story is about fear, and that is the Scarecrow's bag. This screenplay makes the orginal (Keaton) Bat story look so lame by comparison. Goyer knows the Batman and it shows.

Nolan's direction is spot ON. I've never seen an orgin tale told so crisply. He lingers on crucial story points and yet still keeps the tale moving forward. The decision to tell the origin from mid-point forward with brief and telling flashbacks works SO much better than a more linear structure. The first 40 minutes are the best in the film, and that NEVER happens in a superhero flick. His depiction of fallen Gotham is real and gritty, and never over the top. The corruption of the police and officials is understated and real. Gotham is a place that COULD exist in America today, not some arty/gothic playground.

Christian Bale makes the movie. I honestly believe his performance will set a standard similar to Christopher Reeve's Superman. I DON'T ever want to see another actor play Batman again. He's that good. His voice as the Bat is remarkable! I almost find it hard to believe that it was not altered or adjusted. It doesn't sound human, and that's how it's supposed to sound. He also pulls off the character of Bruce Wayne in a way that Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney never could.

This Batman isn't flashy, he's a gritty, pit-fighter. I loved how they didn't go overboard with the gadgets either. I hope that sensibility remains as they advance the series.

Even the new Batmobile shakes off the cheeziness factor. It's real.

I should leave a quick note on the supporting cast. Stellar.

Garry Oldman is a personal favorite of mine. He will be able to grow with this franchise and become a great commissioner Gordon. He doesn't have much to do in this flick other than stand there slack jawed at Batman.

Michael Caine is a great Alfred. He was pretty much built for the part.

Cillian Murphy has a real screen prescence. I haven't seen much of his other work, but he's great here. He's very slick as Dr Crane.

Liam Neeson is a real delight.

Katie Holmes is tolerable and doesn't hurt the film much at all.

All in all, an excellent film! I'm a huge Spiderman fan, but I have to say that Batman Begins sets a new standard in Superhero film greatness.

See it, even if you're not a fan.

[Enraged_Ape]

2. I agree. Absolutely first-rate in almost every way.

1) The art direction and production design. Absolutely spectacular, unlike any superhero movie ever. They labored hard to make Batman, his equipment, and Gotham City seem real, and they succeeded spectacularly.

2) The cinematography. Gorgeous in every respect. I want to own this movie just so I can freeze-frame the various Gotham shots and just gaze in awe at them.

3) The acting. There is not a false take by any actor in this whole movie. Even Katie Holmes did a good job. Christian Bale simply IS both Batman AND Bruce Wayne. He is easily the best actor since Christopher Reeve to ever embody a superhero. And his relationships with Michael Caine's Alfred and Gary Oldman's Gordon were, for the first time EVER, portrayed perfectly. The way Batman would swoop in on Gordon, exchange some bit of information, then disappear was right out of the Denny O'Neil comics of the 1970s. I had chills.

4) The story and script. For the first time, this movie had some genuinely funny lines and situations. (That newspaper headline at the end had me laughing out loud.) This movie also had the scariest, most realistic Batman villains ever. This was the first depiction of Batman where you REALLY rooted for him to defeat his enemies and his inner demons and save the day.

I could go on and on. God bless everyone involved with making this movie. I know I'm going to watch at least another half-dozen times, and I can't WAIT for the sequel.