I am quite possibly the worst kind of film audience. I either tend to over-expect or to be overly cynical. Both cases can be a recipe for disaster, zealous love and anticipation could set-up for a major disappointment and the cynicism I carry into the cinema is usually stubborn and unwavering.
What can I say? I'm a tough cookie to crack. I rarely rave on and on about anything unless I'm absolutely blown away. Yeah, I'm jaded. I for one didn't really like Matrix (Reloaded and Revolutions), Shrek (I liked 2 better than 1), Spiderman 2 or Revenge of the Sith (the latter I actually subjectively loved, but that's only because it's Star Wars).
But when I do love something, boy do I love it.
When the first pics of Christian Bale in the Batsuit came out, I was one of those who were unsure of what they thought. No rabid drooling here, just a raised eyebrow. When the spy pics of the new Batmobile came out, I was definitely annoyed. I mean, what the hell was that? It didn't look pretty at all.
Ah, but to be proven wrong. Once the trailers trickled in, I was hooked. I instantly assumed my bad film audience number one persona, hype boy. Was I setting myself up for a major disappointment like so many other films? (Hey, what can I say? It's fun getting all hyped up!)
Last June 15, 2005, I found the answer.
Batman Begins. Drool.
That's my review. Usually eloquent (not to mention verbose) me is reduced to a blubbering, drooling fool at the mercy of this masterpiece.
Okay, almost.
Batman Begins is an awesome movie, period. Don't even talk to me about it if you didn't like it.
I'm usually very open-minded, but not in this case (the last time I felt this way was with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). This however does not mean I'm not grounded because Batman Begins is not a perfect movie.
It has some editing issues for one. Certain cuts are too fast and the transitions between scenes are nothing exceptional and in fact not as smooth as I would like. The music is not very memorable to the point that even after seeing the film twice, I couldn't remember what the theme was. Of course some wooden acting from some of the extras just ruin the illusion at times.
This means of course that the acting was awesome, from Christian Bale to Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman to Gary Oldman and yes, even Katie Holmes was not bad. Linus Roache as Bruce's father kinda freaked me out though, almost more than Cillian Murphy's Dr. Crane Scarecrow.
By the way, Cillian Murphy was one of the contenders for the role of Batman for this movie (along with a Dawson's Creek alumnus Joshua Jackson and always considered but never chosen Jake Gyllenhaal, who almost became Spiderman). Which almost makes me wonder what kind of Bruce/Batman he would have made had he gotten the role instead of Bale.
But man, Bale made this movie, along with that other Chris, the director Christopher Nolan. The combined vision of Nolan and the discipline of Bale (oh yeah, the intelligent script by Goyer) just synergized.
This movie is probably best represented by it's first teaser trailer. If you can recall, the entire trailer was about Bruce Wayne with only a glimpse of a brooding Batman at the end. Everything leads up to the climax where every single detail fits. I initially thought that the blue flower at the beginning was another pointless Hollywood attempt at
Orientalism, but after a second viewing it was clearly more than that.
Many great movies (Azkaban and it's theme of the finding one's identity comes to mind) are thematic and this is no exception. Who cares about the changed or altered details when the point is driven home so effectively and so stylistically?
The theme is fear and how to overcome it and harness it. The villains used fear by simulating it and is suggested visually by the blurred cinematography. When this first appeared early in the movie, I thought they were just being clever with the camera tricks. But on the second viewing, I realized that Bruce at that point had been exposed to the hallucinogen during that scene.
The special effects were amazing. You hardly notice they were there. This is because of the lack of reliance of CG. Sure, CG's still there, but it was so intelligently used that it didn't have that "videogame effect" of movies like Star Wars and Spiderman. Oh yeah, if you haven't figured it out by now, I take back what I said about the Batmobile. The Tumbler is frickin' amazing! It is clearly a kick-ass vehicle that a real world Batman would use. As for his gadgets, I am in techno-lust. I was just grinning from ear to ear as Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox revealed one gadget after another.
It has been said before and I'll say it again. This movie all about Batman/Bruce Wayne and not about the villains. True, Batman is in the movie for less than half the time, but you walk away with an understanding of the character unparalleled by any superhero movie or any film for that matter. The character of Bruce Wayne/Batman is developed even more than in both Spiderman movies combined.
This movie is no Spiderman, and thank god. I enjoyed Spiderman immensely, but it was a popcorn movie. It was nothing more than soda pop and sugar. Batman is a hard drink taken straight. Spiderman's motivations are simple, uncomplicated guilt. It's black and white. Of course you use great power with great responsibility! Of course you must live up to the memory of your uncle! Spiderman has problems and the means to solve them are already in his hands. The power he has is uncomplicated. It is so powerful (and his enemies so crazy) that it can snip and wrap everything in a pretty little web-slung package.
Batman is just human. True an incredibly rich one, but a tormented one with a predominantly good heart. His skills are genuine and are the result of the labors of his spiritual and physical journey. Bruce and Batman deal with consequences far greater than any other superhero.
The ending is messy and unresolved, not just because they're setting it up for a sequel, but that's how real life is. There is a lot of collateral damage and Batman has to deal with them. Gotham at the end is not really a better place because of the events of Batman Begins, but better because of the potential future it could have with Batman as it's protector.
In the end, Batman Begins is such a great movie, not because it's a good Batman movie, but rather a good film in itself. Even if we never knew who Batman is, this would still enthrall us.
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Please do not expect Spiderman, X-Men or even the old Batman movies when you watch this movie. Do not bring young children in the cinemas as well, not only will they not get or like it (despite all the merchandising), they will ruin the experience for everyone else.
Also do not expect a feel-good funny movie.
