Genres

Visitors Review

Critical Eye UK 2012-05-16 01:55:49

Deja vu

Here we go again: mean streets, concrete thickets, the huddled poor,oil drums burning in the cold dark night. Around any corner, KurtRussell escaping or Harrison Ford running or Bruce Willis monkeying.Say hello to the Gotham City of 'Batman Begins', where nothing worksexcept the retread business and old scenes, old plots, old ideas andold ham are swapped for new with an alacrity so unblushing that thedirector should more properly have been a Mr Al Addin. Unfortunatelythough, there's no lamp for anyone to rub. So no chance of fulfilmentof the not unreasonable wish that this silly movie come to an earlyend.The good thing though is that the seemingly endless length of 'BatmanBegins' leaves plenty of time to wonder. Or even, wander.Michael Caine, for example, and this fondness he has for orphans. Hemay have swapped the cider house for the bat cave, but when he partsfrom young Bruce, he's just got to be thinking, 'Good night you Princeof Wayne, You New King of Gotham'.And Peter Jackson. Although uncredited, you can really see thedesperation when he comes chasing after one of the LOTR Nazguls thathas galloped into Gotham to terrify the hobbits – correction, theGotham City District Attorney (though played so convincingly here byKatie Holmes you just know she has hairy feet and enjoys smoking a claypipe.)David Carradine's absence is regrettable if only because Liam Neeson'spresence is even more regrettable, but then, Carradine's character inthe 1970s TV show was Kwai Chang Caine, and though 'Batman Begins'plunders as much as it can from earlier, more original, and infinitelybetter work, including 'Kung Fu', it's quite understandable that youcan't have two Caines in one movie when one Caine has always been morethan enough.And then there's Christian Bale. Just how bad for his health is thatBatman chest protector? Out of it, his larynx is fine. In it, and hisvoice drops way down to the Darth Vader register. (Katie Holmes'scharacter doesn't notice this, but then, the actress herself doesn'tnotice that she's in a movie anyway).Apparently, this 'new' (the word is used advisedly) Batman is so good,the franchise is to be extended. Plenty of time, then, to Marvel at theComic intellectual pretensions of those who make / applaud stuff likethis, and to watch every jaded visual cliché in the book beingregurgitated.In fact, by the time of 'Batman Ends' it's likely that audiences willbe so into recycling that not a single Styrofoam cup will be leftbehind in any theatre, anywhere.Hopefully, that which gets recycled won't, as in 'Batman Begins',emerge as junk.Rating: 3/10 (for Bale's efforts).

d87crawford 2012-05-15 10:40:12

i fell asleep

I have never fallen asleep in the cinema in my life! I thought thisfilm looked pretty good and the cast was impressive, plus i loved thefirst 4 Batman films but i fell asleep like 20 minutes in and didn'twake till near the end. I guess i can't really comment but i think amovie that puts you to sleep that fast isn't worth spending money on.Plus the story was pretty awful the 'villan' was dumb and it justdidn't have anything like the other films. I like the whole fantasyedge to Batman and the way the villains are formed (Joker with theacid, Catwoman with the cats etc) the film has none of this. Thecontinuation from the original Batman was dumb as it was clear that thejoker killed Batman's parents yet in this he does not? Basically saveyour money!

hyrum_tanner 2012-05-15 03:37:44

only one important thing to improve on

There are a lot of good things you can say about Batman Begins. Isuspect they've already been said. Though I loved the movie, I'll behonest enough to say there were also somethings that weren't so great.(e.g. Katie Holmes) But in my opinion, the only place where the moviefailed was in the lack of consistency for how the Scarecrow's drugaffected people and the general pointlessness of the drug as the movieprogressed. Our first introduction to the drug makes the drug appear to beunsettlingly powerful. The victim (whom I won't mention to avoidspoilers) essentially goes nuts, instantly whacked out of his gourd.Anyone who wasn't taken back a little bit by this excellently andfrighteningly well done scene, our first view of the scary Scarecrow,must be somewhat numb. The next victim, who isn't affected nearly asstrongly because he's already experienced it in a more mild form (andbecause he's less susceptible to fear in general), is also handledquite well. But after that, the drug hardly seems to do anything toanyone except make them see other people's eyes glow red. We have avictim who is able to see what's happening outside her vehicle clearlyenough to warn the driver to be careful (don't forget that shesupposedly got a concentrated dosage). A kid who gets hit by it seemslargely immune, only about as scared as he ought to be considering theencroaching mob, and is clear headed enough to tell the lady with himto not worry because "Batman will come." Why do people who are affectedwith the drug approach and attack the scary things they see? Theyshould be running away screaming unless they've already fallen down andare frozen with fear. Not once did I see any affected person in theNarrows do anything meaningful enough to be cause for concern. Themaniacs and criminals roaming the streets, yes, that's scary, but thedrug, it does nothing. It seems, ironically, that some characters areaware of this. The main bad guy doesn't bother to put on his gas maskuntil after the drug has already been released into the air. Prettymuch, after all the build up about the drug, even including its originsin Batman's back story, the only real danger once all the badness isreleased is the water mains blowing up (that's not a spoiler, it was inthe trailer). And Batman isn't even directly involved in preventingthat. In summary, well done lads (Nolan,Goyer,Bale,Murphy), but next timedon't forget to keep the scary things scary all the time.

mooreo 2012-05-14 19:47:07

Delivers and then some

I saw this film on a special staff preview as I simply could wait theextra 12 hours as I am a huge superhero fan on all levels, fromSpiderman to Smallville.I was slightly sceptical about this film in the beginning because thelast batman had seriously rocked my foundations of support. Althoughafter I watched a "making of" on MTV it eased my nerves slightlybecause you could clearly see the class of the film showing through.After seeing this film I couldn't have had a greater sense ofindescribable.....well....bliss. This is by far on of the best"superhero" type film that I've seen lately, better than the Punisherwhich I also rated highly. The film is so fast; if you blink you willmiss it. The action comes at you from all directions and it isn't justmindless fighting, its carefully choreographed martial arts which youwould more expect to see in a matrix film.It wasn't until I came on here to spread the word of amazement, aftercalling my friends, that I read that it was an incredible 2 hours 40minutes. There wasn't a dull moment, you couldn't take your eyes offthe screen through fear of missing an important plot point or some highclass action This film delivers every single thing that a batman filmcould ever hope to and then some. All the Bat-gadgets, a gorgeous girl,action and of course Alfred. This film also has a slender dab of subtlehumour running through out the film which are funny enough not to ruinthe film as with Batman and Robin, yet just enough to make u chuckle.So all in all, best batman film ever and easily in the running for bestsuperhero film ever. It also deserves to be in the IMDb top 250.Joe Moore

CharlyQuestion 2012-05-05 18:10:39

Batman begins really achieves the portrayal of a comic book character into the big screen

First of all, what Christopher Nolan is doing is not acomic-book-based-movie; he takes the concept of humanity in a personbeyond of what we've seen in other big-budget films with no care forpsychology sense. The movie has a really great tone and rhythm, withoutboring parts or the audience desperate to see Bale in costume, unlikeRaimi's Spider-man. This is the most realistic version I've ever seenabout Batman since the mask of the phantasm or Batman Dead End(excludig alien and predator), this is achieved in universal thoughtsand comparisons, like the decaying Gotham City that could really beseen as any mayor city in the world, where good people are crushed andthe corrupt really rule Earth. The villains are well explored exceptfor some comic incongruence like Ra's Al Ghul. The acting is wellperformed bye every cast member excluding Katie Holmes, who could haveacted a little bit better. With some comic book references to Batman'sfans and some surprising twists and turns, Batman Begins reallyexplores the origin of a hero in a realistic and believable way

toracartwheel 2012-05-05 10:49:13

Note to Hollywood - Avoid Frank Miller's Comics

To the legions of Batman:Year One comic book fans out there who aresurely going to be offended by what I'm about to say, get overyourselves. This movie was a complete and total waste of time andunnecessary insult to those who enjoyed the original Batman movie andat the very least the first two films directed masterfully by Burton.With this drivel, we get an adaptation of Batman:Year One that is justplain bland and void of the charm, style, wit, and most of all fun ofthe first Batman movie. Yes Batman and Robin was a disaster but not areason to attempt to start over from scratch and act like the firstfour films never existed. It just was the final clumsy move on WB'spart after going with Shumacher and sending the franchise right tohell. I have to say I almost cringed as much as I did during Batman andRobin. Forget this film ever happened and stick with the first two.You'll be better off.

Se7en14 2012-05-04 20:18:24

Batman Begins, Begins Something Great!

After Seeing Batman, i had doubts ever since the atrocious Schumacherfilms came out, and were disgracing the Batman films everywhere. Uponhearing Nolan directing this movie i was surprised and excited, afterseeing such movies as Memento and Insomnia, which were amazing, I hadto think can Nolan pull This Batman movie off, can he re-create thewhole series over again, and hope our cape crusader won't die and beembarrassed once more in a movie? Amazingly the whole film works.The movie starts with Bale in prison, as of yet we don't know why he isthere. But Bruce Wayne has a skills of martial arts and attacks anyonewho dares attacks him. We then meet Henri Ducard, who trains Bruce tobecome an ultimate weapon and seeking that those who deserve justice,get justice.After Bruce Wyanes parents were murdered in front of himwhen he was child he has sworn justice ever since. The League ofShadows in which Wayne wants join is run by a criminal under lord nameRa's Al Ghul, who's method of Justice is beyond what Wayne wants. Waynekills Ra's and then runs back to Gotham to become a sworn protector.As we look back in the past the open thing this movie runs on is fear.We learn Bruce Waynes fear, and the fear of everyone in this movie sobrilliantly done. Gotham is bleak disgusting and looks as if it shouldbe scrapped and torn down. Run by gang lords and drug users who get offScott-free. Bruce Wayne is sworn to protect Gotham and bring downcrime. He puts fear into them by what he used to fear Bats, as hebecomes Batman. The movie has amazing acting and cinematography in it,the way you fear Batman and Scarecrow in the movie, is unlike anything,especially when we see the fear gas injected. Most of all it has a coolfactor on it. Bale pulls off Batman with ease he plays the billionaireplayboy amazingly, and Batman all at the same time. Neeson, Oldman andFreeman all make great supporting roles even Holmes does a good jobwith what she has, and shows she can act. But the real reason is tocheck out Cillian Murphy who may not be a big star yet but he's comingtowards, he performs Scarecrow and Jonathan Crane amazingly, hesometimes becomes so creepy it makes your skin crawl by the way hetalks, and then shows how he puts fear into others and the plan onGotham as well.The effects were amazing we finally have a movie where CG isn'teverywhere we look and that it's down to good Ole action andstorytelling. The Wachoski Brothers can learn a few tricks as couldGeorge Lucas, CG is not the whole movie but the actors and storytellingmake up for everything to make an amazing movie. The Batmobile isbeyond cool, in one sentence I Gotta get me one of those. The actionscenes when he's doing his hand to hand combat could've been pulled offbetter, it was close up and hard to see what was going on, kind of likeBourne Supremacy, but none the less this movie just rocks.Bravo to the new Batman, and Mr. Nolan for saving him all together.While the movie isn't perfect, it's just as close to being there. 10/10

moniker_jones 2012-05-04 06:43:10

The Dark Knight Returns

In 1966 Burt Ward and Adam West took to the screen in the cinematicadaptation of the cheesy Batman TV series. Twenty-three years later atwisted film geek named Tim Burton revived the mysterious superhero formodern audiences. His two films, Batman and Batman Returns, delivered adarkly comic vision of Bruce Wayne's alter ego. The first film was amassive success, both critically and financially. Batmania was in fullswing, despite many casual moviegoers mumblings that the film was "tooweird and bleak." Burton's vision didn't wane the slightest bit as heoffered up an equally chilling sequel three years later. Batman Returnswas successful, but failed to generate the hysteria that surrounded itspredecessor. The powers-that-be must have felt the only way torevitalize the franchise was to water it down for mass consumption.This led to the appointment of Joel Schumacher as director for thethird and fourth installments (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin).Fresh blood could not save these features from their ludicrous dialogueand cartoonish tone. Even the most die-hard fans were wishing for theBat to be put to sleep. After all, if Hollywood wasn't going to tellthese stories right, why tell them at all? Flash forward to the year2005, which Batman enthusiasts will henceforth refer to as "Year One."Christopher Nolan, the gifted filmmaker responsible for themind-bending Memento, has finally given this series the honest,respectable makeover it has sorely needed. Modeled after the Batmangraphic novels penned by Sin City creator Frank Miller, Nolan's featuregets back to the crusader's roots. Christian Bale (American Psycho)assumes the role of Bruce Wayne this time around, and it's a bravechoice that pays off nicely. The film itself focuses on the events thatmolded the young billionaire into the masked vigilante we all know andlove. After failing to avenge his parent's death, Wayne disappears intothe criminal underworld, eventually finding himself in a distantprison. Angry and sorrowful, he is under the tough tutelage of HenriDucard (Liam Neeson). Ducard instructs Wayne in the ways of martialarts, while also helping him to confront his deepest fears. As Waynenears the end of his training, he realizes that Ducard and his master,Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), intend on destroying Gotham. They feel itis little more than a breeding ground for impoverished criminals, andwhile there is some truth in this, Wayne disagrees with their ideologyand genocidal methods. He soon returns home after a seven-year hiatus,and begins creating the mythic figure we call Batman. It is as thispoint that the film finds it groove and will likely win over most ofits observers. The first act of the film has all been backstory that isunfamiliar to most casual fans of the character. However, directorNolan was wise to stay true to his vision. By taking Wayne out ofGotham and briefly disorienting viewers, he has injected a much-neededjolt of reality to the story. We look on quizzically as exotic locales,ninja warriors, snow-capped mountains, and Asian mystics wash over us.Are we in the right theater? But those who remain patient through thefirst half of the film will be greatly rewarded. It took a lot of gutsfor Nolan and the studio to make this film. It is not themerchandiser's Batman, and it is most definitely not a children'smovie. This should be evident by the stellar cast that surrounds thestill relatively unknown Bale. Morgan Freeman, Michael Cain, GaryOldman, and Katie Holmes are just a few of the talented actors whodeliver wonderfully reserved performances in this truly unique picture.As last year's Harry Potter installment proved, great things can bedone with popular material when entrusted to the right filmmaker. Thismovie isn't likely to smash box office records or send kids runningscreaming to toy stores, but it has done something remarkable just thesame. It has taught an old bat some new tricks and given the rest of usa complex, believable superhero. That's more than just fine with me.Rating: A-

Josh. O 2012-05-01 18:32:30

The best Batman movie

This, in my opinion, is the best Batman movie I've seen so far!When I went to go see it in theaters, I was so excited! I knew thatthis Batman movie was going to be a blast. I was right, I think that itactually turned out better then I thought it would be.Now don't get me wrong at all, I liked the other Batmans, but this oneis like The Godfather compared to them. It has an awesome storyline toit and the cast is spectacular!I think that they made an excellent decision making Christian Bale playBatman, he's certainly good at it! Besides Keaton, Christian Bale makesBatman... Batman!10 stars out of 10

EcuadorHomesOnline 2012-05-01 09:20:18

Surpassed all expectations

It's one thing when you have low expectation for a movie and it is apleasant surprise. It's another thing when you have high expectationsand the movie still manages to completely blow you away."Batman Begins" just works. The script, the plot, the casting, theeffects, the psychology of it all tie together in an exceedinglycomplete package.One very nice surprise is that, for the most part, the movie manages toleave the comic book "super hero that defies all laws of physics"behind, and shows Bruce Wayne as a human being. The story is much moredramatic, and realistic, than any of the other Batman movies - yetmanages to answer some of the dangling questions, like - how does BruceWayne have the resources to build all the toys in the batcave.A final comment is that the Imax version is the way to see this BatmanBegins! This is one movie that really does justice to the incrediblepicture and sound of the Imax format.

RunEba 2012-04-26 21:09:09

a pointless myth

Any psychological imperatives that drives Batman to be Batman areirrelevant, because the idea of the Superhero as depicted inlife-action movies is too absurd to swallow. The rules of the Superheroand his world are best suited to the drawn page and animation where theart grants the material an imaginative substance; it is its conceptualideal. Proceed to superimpose such myths on the life-action format andyou lose this ideal. Ironically, the life action movie comicbookadaptations are always striving for that ideal but are unfortunatelyflawed from the outset. The result is almost always just a tad beneathPower Rangers in absurdity. In "Sin City" director Rodriguez understoodthat any attempt to translate Frank Miller's ultra-pulpy material intotraditional life action would undermine and expose just how absurd itall is. In "Batman Begins" (and in all Batman films) the absurdity ofthe material is exposed and painfully apparent.Moreover, there's the fact that Batman and Superman all the otherheroes arose at a time when America and Americans could unite in commoncauses. These heroes didn't merely fight mad villains but fought Nazisand communism. In those times the threats were real. In addition to thefact that all superheroes of DC/Marvel are corporate entities, we arefaced with the sad fact that Batman and Superman are awfulanachronisms. Their logos live on but their characters remainirrelevant. Consequently, any attempt to make us care about Batman ongenuine human terms is undone by the fact that we don't culturallyyearn for these characters and their stories. The world of "BatmanBegins," despite its pathetic allusions to a depression in Gotham cityand people suffering (a fact which undoubtedly goes over the audiencelistening to their shiny Ipod's as they bought their $10 tickets), hasno relevance to ours. Consider the corruption at the heart ofGotham--gangsters pulling political strings, corrupt cops, etc. Howquaint. Perhaps the League of Shadows can be considered a terroristorganization--yet their ultimate aim conveniently remains a bitabstract: they are lunatics who believe to rid the world of evil onemust essentially be evil. They are driven by a petty intellectual pointrather than passionate human hatred. Surely there's a problem when wedeprive even our cartoon villains from hating like humans? The film reminds one of 2003's "Hulk." Both try to insert a bit ofserious dramainto the origin story of the Superhero but unfortunately"Batman Begins" does not carry out the plot to as respectable a peak as"Hulk" did. Indeed, "Hulk" -- despite its murkiness of plot--managed tosustain a superior sense of intensity throughout. Only the highlyrespectable cast prevent Batman Begins from total mediocrity. Perhapsthe film works as a traditional action film, but it never soarsthematically. At the end, Batman remains a logo.

zsanctuary 2012-04-26 08:47:17

The adventures of the darker dark knight.

Batman has always had a massive presence in the film industry. FromAdam West to George Clooney these movies have always been box officehits. Unfortunately the series' quality has been spiraling downwardssince Batman Returns. Sure Batman Forever had it's moments (most ofwhich belonged to Jim Carrey as the indispensable Riddler) buteverything was just so much more kid friendly and that's where thingswent wrong. Batman is meant to be dark and Gothic. Images of death andviolence are commonplace in the better films, cartoons and comics.After Batman and Robin I puked my guts out, and after that I started toworry if Batman would ever be serious again. My prayers have beenanswered with Batman Begins.I'll say right now that I'm not a huge Batman fan. I don't exactly rushout to the theaters to see the movies or even buy the comics for thatmatter but I do have a basic knowledge of the series and luckily that'sall you need for Batman Begins. What we got here is a new beginning. Wesee how Batman is born and we see how he learns to use fear as aweapon.The story was really very interesting and the combination of greatacting and flawless visuals made this into one of the best films of theyear. Just one glance at this film and your eyes are stuck to thescreen. Everything is just so dark and moody.It's not just the visuals either; everything about this movie is dark.This is not one to bring your nephew to and if you scare easily bestnot bring yourself either. It's all about fear and some scenes reachhorror movie heights. The Scarecrow for instance is the scariest Batmanvillain yet and the funny thing is that he's just a Jeffrey Combsimpersonator with a potato bag on his head. However the way he toyswith the minds of others by utilizing a bizarre hallucinogenic drugmakes him into an extremely sick and frightful monster. This is mostevident in his final scene but I can't bring myself to spoil whathappens, you'll just need to watch the film.Sounds good huh? I assure you it's the best Batman movie ever made butthe reasons mentioned above are only part of it. The big thing isBatman himself. For once I was just as interested in Batman as I was inthe villains. I wanted Batman to have screen time; I wanted to see himtake down the villains in the end. Why? Simple, for once they developedhim properly. We fully understand Bruce Wayne's struggle and his choiceto become Batman is for once shown logically.This movie takes the time to build characters and build the plot. LikeSpiderman 2, this is a superhero movie for people who don't watchsuperhero movies. It can appeal to action fans, horror fans and dramafans and that is a pretty wide range if you ask me. It even has a fewwell-placed jokes to help lift a bit of the darkness.Well now that I mentioned the action, people are going to want to knowhow much there is. Batman has always been filled to the brim withstunts, fights and chases. This movie has a bit more emphasis on thedramatic aspects (a wise choice indeed) but it also delivers theaction. An impressive car chase is probably the highlight but earlyscenes also feature plenty of sword fights and the final battle insidea speeding train is extremely exciting.It's true, Batman Begins has a little something for everybody. It alsoaccomplishes the difficult feat of being both an honest attempt atfilm-making and being a summer blockbuster at the same time. I highlyrecommend that you at least give this film a chance even if you're notgenerally a Batman fan for this movie has the power to make you one.My review from Frider Waves:http://friderwaves.com/index.php?page=batmanbeg

Stanley Strangelove 2012-04-23 15:40:51

Keep this in the cave

May Contain Spoilers: This movie has scenes that make me think it wasshot as an R movie and edited to PG13. Parents: keep your childrenunder 13 away from this one. This has aspects of a horror movie. Theinsane asylum scenes belong in a George Romero movie and thehallucinations in a John Carpenter movie. Kids under 13 might getnightmares from these.This movie is SUPER LOUD. Bring two sets of ear plugs and sit in theback row.It's 135 million dollars of FX with a trite plot and one dimensionalcharacters thrown in. What's bad about the movie: The ninja scenes aretrite garbage. The editing is confused. The few attempts at humoraren't funny. The end sequence is lame.The movie spends time showing why Batman is Batman but the attempts todevelop the character relationships are unconvincing and poorlywritten.The plot is trite as are the FX.About the characters: Mr. Bale could have been good if he was given anydecent lines. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and MorganFreeman seem way out of place in this action movie. (Freeman said heonly did it for the money.)What's good about the movie: The Batmobile chase scene is exciting.

Anne-Marie 2012-04-23 00:52:52

Astonishing!

I am no fan of the Batman movies, but this one is astonishing. Really,it is just greatly amazing. It has a little feel of the Highlandersmovie in a very good way. I love Tim Burton's film, but this "feel" forBatman felt more appropriate to me. By the first minute, I believedthat Gotham existed. Not only Gotham, but every gadget in Batman'spossession. Even the Batmobile is so much more believable. By the way,there is not Bat-anything in this film other than Batman. The Batcaveis there, but it is not named at all. It explains so much and it keepsyour attention from beginning to end. You won't be looking for yourwatch believe me! I love watching movies that doesn't take you for adummy and gives you contents that make sense. Okay, a guy dressed in abat costume makes very little sense, but still in this film, it seemsthat it does make a lot of sense. And frankly, after seeing it, you'llprobably wish you could see the following Batman movies with that feeland style. You'll want to see more. So, it is a "must see" if you askme.

vcatalano-1 2012-04-21 02:10:37

A new definition for action movies

Batman Begins sets the bar for action/super hero movies in the same waythat James Bond and The Matrix did in their own way.The story and the rationale behind the chaos that becomes Gotham fitsperfectly. Tone and mood in its solitariness and relentlessness of theBatman is captured brilliantly. Clever writing, excellent acting(except for a fairly weak Katie Holmes), superb directing,cinematography, and especially the music of Hans Zimmer puts this moviein on another level - the level of high quality movie making.My prediction - Oscar nomination for Best Picture. And while it willlikely not win, the realization of what an intelligent action film canbe all about has been created.

forreal_finally 2012-04-20 10:58:29

The Best Movie of 2005 so far!

Saying this movie is the best thus far of 2005 is really anunderstatement! Christian Bale revived the ever so limp Batman seriesand injected our minds with a new view of Batman, the Human side.The whole movie is based around fear, and using fear against enemies,and for Batman to use his opponents fear against them, he must firstface his own. Thats where the relevance of the bats come in. This moviealso has a more modern Gotham with much more modern problems.The acting was well all the way around, I can't think of anyone wholacked in keeping my interest, INCLUDING Mrs. Holmes. The story wasextremely well written and never went off path, always keeping youinterested, and wondering who or what was next in the detailed plot.Overall this is just a fantastic movie, anyone including Non-Batmanfans like myself should go see it!

soe1963 2012-04-20 08:03:13

Great

Just wanted to say that I was soooo glad to see the film answer so manyold questions...and not done in a campy, cartoonish format like theprevious 4 movies. This is what I had hoped the first 4 would havebeen. I was disappointed with all of them, but mostly disappointed inthe last one with Mr. Freeze. Skating down a dinosaur's skeleton in themuseum...fake looking jumps... The poor scripts and story lines weresecondary to the terrible acting by Val Kilmer and Alicia Silverstone.The only redeeming value is in the performances of Nicole Kiddman asDr. Chase Meridian and Uma Therman's (as Poision Ivy) dance at theFlower Ball where she starts out in the purple gorilla suit and ends upon stage teasing Batman and Robin...except...did anyone ever wonderwhere Batman got his own credit card? Aren't there laws that governthis?...anyway, the whole thing was goofy. Thank goodness for this new,plausible (as plausible as such can be) route the film makers aretaking.

Ricky Roma 2012-04-20 00:43:58

Final Execution And Resurrection

Fear gets mentioned quite a few times in Batman Begins. In fact, itgets mentioned about a hundred times. 'I seek the means to fightinjustice. To turn fear on those who prey on the fearful.' 'Now youmust journey inwards, to what you really fear.' 'There is nothing tofear but fear itself.' And then the whole of Gotham City gets The Fearand tries to rip itself apart. It's almost as if the filmmakers aretrying to say something. Is it a comment on paranoia in the Bush era?Or is it an insight into how ordinary people are running scared fromreal and imagined criminality? Or then again, is it just a bunch ofcool stuff in a big Hollywood blockbuster? It's probably a combinationof all three, although, as you'd expect, the cool stuff takesprecedence… Along with fear, another word that gets mentioned with Batman Beginsis: dark. Now, for me, that's good, as I like dark, but I have to saythat I'm getting fed up with filmmakers and marketers churning the word'dark' out with every blockbuster that is released. Its become a realcliché. Apparently Die Another Day was going to be 'dark' – it wasn't.Then Spider-Man 2 was going to be 'dark' – it was teeny little bit, butnot much, although admittedly it was a very enjoyable film. Then therewas Revenge of the Sith, which wasn't dark and which was terrible. AndHulk was going to be dark and Daredevil was going to be dark and X2 wasgoing to be dark. But none of them were really. At least, not what Iclass as dark. But to me its just become a lazy way of marketing afilm. It's an easy way of trying to fool people into thinking that thefilm has depth when it has none.However, I do have to say that Batman Begins really is dark (althoughwhether its got real depth is up for debate). In some ways it's almostlike a horror film. Batman sneaks up on the criminals like moviemonsters do their victims and then proceeds to beat the crap out ofthem. It's cool stuff. Very enjoyable. And the fear toxin is superblyrealised. I especially liked the visualisation of Batman. Again, verycool. Although I do have to say that if I'd seen it as a kid, I mightwell have encountered an accident at that precise moment in the film.It's a million miles away from the nipples and butt cracks of JoelSchumacher's Batman.But although the film is dark, it's also the most emotional Batmanstory on film. I mean, I love the Tim Burton versions of the character,but they were purely exercises in style (but what style!). Here thoughis the first time that people like me, who can't be bothered to readcomic books, really get an insight into Batman and Bruce Wayne. Iespecially loved the way that the back-story was filmed. The robbery isparticularly harrowing. And I also liked how Alfred's role was builtup. Before, in the Burton films, you sensed affection, but in Begins areal connection is made. So much so that I couldn't help but lose alittle bit of my composure when Alfred says that he'd never give up onBruce. And that leads me to something else that I liked. I liked theway that the film reveals that Bruce Wayne is as much of a character asBatman, if not more so. In the other films it's hinted at, but here isthe first time that it's explored.Another way that Batman Begins trumps its predecessors is with Batmanhimself. Christian Bale is fantastic. He's vulnerable and edgy as BruceWayne and absolutely fearsome as Batman. I have to say that I reallydug the way that his Batman literally screams at the villains. That wasunexpected but very welcome. And the villains were superb too,especially Cillian Murphy. His performance is like a block of ice –cold eyes, cold smile and cold attitude. It's nice to see some Batmanvillainy totally devoid of camp. Oh, and the soon-to-be Mrs Cruise ispretty good too. I mean, I may not have bought her as an assistant DA(the fact that she looks about 16 doesn't help) but emotionally she wasfine. And perhaps it's just me, but it was nice to see a female rolethat didn't require some token female "ass kicking". After all, hasn'tthe prerequisite totty with big breasts and skinny arms that can kickbutt become the new annoying female archetype in blockbusters? They'vetaken the place of screamers like Kim Basinger's Vicki Vale.But while I'm enthusiastic about Batman Begins, it's not without fault.The training sequence is sub-Matrix. The League of Shadows is like ThePriory of Sion. The music is totally forgettable. Morgan Freeman isreally just Q. The editing of the fight sequences is too over the top.And the final act is a bit of a disappointment.I also have to say that I was a little bit disappointed with GothamCity itself. Perhaps I love Tim Burton's Gotham too much, but in hisfilms it really seemed like a character in itself. It was a work ofbeauty. It was a work of art. I loved it. But then Joel Schumacher hadto turn it into Las Vegas on steroids… So in response Christopher Nolanturns Gotham into something more realistic, which works superbly forthe type of Batman that he's making. But still, even though I preferNolan's Batman, I prefer Burton's Gotham.

Everton_Paul 2012-04-18 08:38:06

Utter drivel

After reading the numerous good reviews of this film, I was expecting aseriously made, deep movie that explored the batman character in ameaningful way. There are so many things wrong with this film, butbasically it just quickly degenerates into the typical brain deadHollywood teen-pleasing crapola. I think all the A list actors werejust collecting fat pay checks. I know Bale was probably looking for ablockbuster movie to propel his face a bit more into the mainstream,but he picked a turkey here. I really think Bale is a brilliant actor(as he showed in American Psycho) but he is wasted in this movie.The action sequences suffer from the modern Hollywood 'X-box' editingdesease, where no shot stays on screen for more than a split second.This simply confuses the viewer as to exactly what he's supposed to beseeing. The score is good, but pervades far too much throughout thefilm. The plot is pretty ridiculous.I won't carry on criticising it, but this movie DOES NOT deserve to beanything like #80 in the IMDb list (as it presently is). Is this reallya better movie than Midnight Cowboy??!!??!! I think not.Does absolutely NOTHING to restore my nearly extinguished hope thatHollywood is ever going to make brilliant mainstream movies again, likeit used to do in the 70s (Godfather, Deer Hunter, Deliverance, etc.etc. etc.)

Meltdown53098533 2012-04-17 15:02:17

....Perfect....

When Batman first hit the silver screen, in his own movie named afterhimself, he was treated as a secondary character because jack Nicholsoncost ed the producers a lot of money for screen time. in his secondouting, he was placed in a soulless nightmare and didn't seem veryheroic. Then his last two movies were so corny and out of whack that wethought we, the viewers, would forever shudder when we hear the nameBatman.Friends, those days are now history.BATMAN BEGINS ****/**** It's Batman's origin story. Not only does itfollow its original material from the comics (which is always the bestway to go with these type of movies), it is consistently dazzling withits action, its drama and its incredible cast.This has got to be one of the greatest ensembles of actors ever to beinvolved in a film. Christian bale becomes a superstar, Micheal Caineportrays his loyal butler with true grace and soft power, Gary oldmannails the character of Jim Gordon both in vision and in performance,Cillian Murphy also grabs our attention, Liam Neeson portrays thementor (again) with perfection, Morgan Freeman... what can you say thathas not been said already?...... It's just amazing.The action here, for what it is in its heart and soul, is easily 10Xbetter than CGI festivals like the new Star Wars movies. Most of it isall real, using miniatures and sometimes full scale Batmobile action,stunt men flying etc. etc. It's the kind of action that has you feelingemotions you've never felt for a long... long time.The characters are all three dimensional. Everyone has motives,backgrounds, and reasons to do what they do. Batman is rightfully thebest developed character. Ultimately you have to ask yourself "How inthe hell can a man become inspired to fight criminals while dressed asa bat?". As crazy as it sounds, the movie provides very good answers.Now it is long, but worth every Milli-second. We first get to knowBruce Wayne through multiple flashbacks. Then we move on to histraining and some of his early days of crime fighting. We don't see thesuit for a good chunk of the film. But rest assured, the majority ofthe film does have Batman in it.We get to know everything about him. the explanations of his WonderfulToys are freakin' awesome! Some of his items, including his cape, arebased on actual technology. Personally when I saw publicity shots ofthe new batmobile I thought it was the most atrocious piece of crapever to grace a Batman film, and I imagine some of you probably;y feelthe same way now. But let me tell you, that car is amazing. It's uglybecause it's designed to plow through everything like a tank onspeed-steroids. You have to see it in action to truly appreciate it.Fantastic movie. basically anyone who's been missing that spinetingling feeling you get from perfect action movies should go out andrent this now.