I saw Batman Begins a few Thursday’s ago. That was a damn good film. It kicks all the previous Batman films collective asses. Though I guess that’s not saying much when it comes to Schumacher’s idiotic visions. Funk his noise and his “boiling acid”.
Here are the rest of my two-cents in non-spoiler, random, easy to chew bits.
The Car
I sneak peeked the new batmobile a handful of months before the movie. I wasn’t totally impressed but I wasn’t dead set against it either. The movie shifted me to full-on liking the clunky thing. Maybe it’s because of the movie gave the car roots as a military prototype. Most likely it’s because it reminded me of the batmobile from Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.
The Characters
That was a damn interesting interpretation of the mind and ways of Ra’s Al Ghul. The Scarecrow was definitely one of the better incarnations of a lame character. Detective Gordon was a damn gritty-city cop for once. Lucius Fox finally got some screen time and was well played by Morgan Freeman. I hate to say it but I dug Michael Caine’s Alfred better than Alfred Gough’s.
Thomas Wayne? Nice to meet ya, guy! Maybe now I’ll actually feel bad for Bruce when you and your wife get murdered-up Crime Alley.
The biggest surprise for me was how well Katie Holmes fit into the bat-universe. Christopher Nolan must have danced around that hat 10 extra times a night to make that fly.
The Story
It helps when you actually have one. There’s plot, character growth, and all the usual trappings. It’s like they actually hired a good writer and a good director to make a great production.
Funny how that works.
The Batman
If Christian Bale fell from the sky (or snatched me off the street) in full bat regalia and proceeded to yell point-blank in my face, I have to say that it would give me pause. Ok first, I would wonder why there are no breath mints in his utility belt. Then, there would definitely be pause. I shouldn’t have expected any less from the American Psycho.
You think Real Genius or Danny Ocean could have pulled that noise off?
It was also nice that we get to see The World’s Greatest Detective do some actual detecting. Four whole movies and the most detecting we got was a CD scratch mix live from the bat cave.
Christopher Nolan
I’ve always had faith in Nolan‘s director skills ever since I saw Memento. That man cannot only direct ants to a picnic; he can make the bastards dance.
