I finally got around to seeing Batman Begins this past Friday. From the commercials I know that the villains would be the Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Ghul. I know something about the Batman comic books, but I don’t profess to be an aficionado. I do have a vague memory of reading Batman Year One which has a similar story to the movie. The story is of how/why Bruce Wayne becomes Batman.
As for the movie itself…
It is the best Batman movie ever. The cinematography was very good. The acting was good for the most part. The effects were good and the story was good. The casting was good for the most part.
The casting
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman was much better than Clooney or Keaton or Kilmer.
Michael Caine as Alfred was a good choice, but I think an unknown could have been better.
Liam Neeson was a good choice, but the role reminded me of his role The Phantom Menace.
Gary Oldman was Sgt. Gordon. They had him looking the part and he played it very well.
Cillian Murphy (of 28 Days Later fame) played Dr Crane and played him very well.
Katie Holmes as the love interest. Katie is cute and all, but any of the popular young actresses could have played this part.
The acting was well done on all counts, except for the love interest. Katie Holmes did an alright job, but that part could have been played by any actress.
Like I mentioned about the story reminded me of Year One. I really liked the story, it showed how Bruce Wayne was not just a billionaire playboy but is a man who makes mistakes, has feelings, in short they make him fairly well rounded. Of course it is based on the comic so there is the fantastical aspect of it.
The special effects were very good. The Equipment that Batman uses is based on mostly feasible military equipment.
I really enjoyed the movie. It blows away all the other Batman movies. The other movies, seemed to try to keep some of the camp of the 60s TV show in them, this movie did not. This movie went after the “grim and gritty” version of Batman that Frank Miller made popular in Batman Year One.
If you see Batman Begins, don’t expect another weird romp through Gotham city that is a slightly dark funhouse mirror version of the campy 60s TV show. It does have good action, and is a fun movie. I highly recommend seeing Batman Begins! If you are looking for an action movie you won’t be disappointed. But if you are looking for someone trying to recreate the Adam West Batman, then this isn’t the movie you are wanting.
[Listening to: Eye Of The Beholder - Metallica - ...And Justice for All (06:30)]
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