TV Man Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Spoilier Warning - Don't Bother reading further if you don't want to read possible spoilers Okay, so you don't mind discussing spoilers because you've read this far. Let's begin. I thought I'd start a thread to discuss the new Batman Begins movie. First off, this is a very good film. It's dark, it's gritty and there are Sci-Fi elements in this film that make it plausible, or at least more plausible than something like Spiderman or the Hulk or any of the other superhero characters brought to the movie screen. Basically Bruce Wayne learns expert ninja skills while he is in a self imposed exile in Asia. He also uses the "applied sciences" business unit of his empire, which builds high-tech military weaponary, for the tools and weapons he deploys (including a very different Batmobile). He has no "superpowers" in the traditional sense, other than training, cunning, skill, and advanced weaponery. Essentially he is a highly disciplined, dedicated individual. His adoption of the Batman persona is a means of creating a "symbol" that criminals will remember. No radioactive bat bites or any silly premise like that is used to create "The Batman". Instead, the persona is a means to the end of just fighting crime. But even the criminals are normal crime bosses, controlling the underworld and the cops and the courts through money. There are no supervillians like the ones in Spiderman or the other movies in this genre. The one reference to a "supervillian" is the character The Scarecrow, but even he is just a standard human, who is a psychiatrist who uses an hallucinagenic aerosol to cause his victims to lose their sanity and descend into paranoia. He's not some unbelievable supercrook freak of nature like Mr. Freeze. Instead, the Scarecrow is really the deep personal phobia that each of us harbor, whether it is fear of bats, fear of snakes, spiders or whatever. Your own paranoia about these things is brought to the fore by the drug the corrupt psychiatrist sprays on you, and you lose your mind to your own deepest fears. It is something rare in American film of late to have the horror exist in the mind itself instead of some external monster. Admittably there is the required suspension of belief that the audience must grant the filmakers in some areas, but it isn't so far out there that I ever felt the "this could never happen" feeling that can be the kiss of death for a film. One possible criticism is that the film is a little long, but that's because they take the time to tell the story of how Bruce Wayne evolves into Batman. So it's a minor nit IMHO. Just make sure you enter the theater with an empty bladder and you'll be fine. All things considered this is a very good film, and is probably the most faithful adapation of the original story ever put to film. My rating is 9.5 out of 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiteShdw Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 While I have not yet seen the movie, I had a discussion with a few people that have. They all praise it as a really great movie. After reading your review, I'm even more intrigued by the storyline. I love that they went back to a more realistic tone with this movie than the last Batman movies, which were just utter crap. I may even be willing to pay for a matinee rather than waiting for it to get to the dollar theatre! (I NEVER paid full price for a movie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrisnin Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 never did like the previous batman movies. It was like the the entire movie crew was high on crack or something. How come everybody always knows who is batman in the end and every villian finds the bat cave in the end too. That sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffydk Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 This movie seems intrigueing to me as well. I loved the first batman movie with jack nickleson. The second one was ok and then to quote nite, the rest were 'crap'. This one seems promising. I may see it in the theatre.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
str82u Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 We have it in an IMAX and will go see it since this review explained what I was hoping to hear about the adaptation. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckGar Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 An excellent rebooting of the franchise, and, as many have said, the best film interpretation of Batman so far. Nolan's "Batman in a real world" idea worked marvelously well, and I liked this much more realistic looking Gotham better than the very stylized stuff dating back to Burton's day. I remember pics of the Batmobile being first released and a lot of people being pissed off about it. Back then I thought the tankbuggy was a great idea - it reminded me more of the car from DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, and just seemed much more practical than, say, a jet turbine-equipped corvette with bat wings that sat an inch off the ground. I knew Bale would be good, but I didn't imagine how good he actually was in the part. I like that, when he's Batman, his entire demeaner, physicality, and even his VOICE gets altered. If I were to change anything, I'd say they either needed to eliminate the romantic element with Katie Holmes' character or completely rearrange her character's involvement so she's remains important under the idea of uncorruptable goodness and faith in the system but leave out the lovey dovey. The romance was poorly developed, and the final scene between her character and Wayne at the end of the film felt like it was coming out of nowhere, even if the concept of Wayne's duality being the conflict was presented well. Nolan certainly threw in a lot of symbolism of "throwing away the baggage of dead daddy..." the end train sequence, the manor burning down, etc. etc. Great work. Looking forward to a sequel... and hoping after the end of this one that the Crispin Glover rumor is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TV Man Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 While I have not yet seen the movie' date=' I had a discussion with a few people that have. They all praise it as a really great movie. After reading your review, I'm even more intrigued by the storyline. I love that they went back to a more realistic tone with this movie than the last Batman movies, which were just utter crap. I may even be willing to pay for a matinee rather than waiting for it to get to the dollar theatre! (I NEVER paid full price for a movie)[/quote'] This movie struck me as being a restart of the Batman franchise, one that is true to the original story. As someone else mentioned, Gotham City is now like a modern American city, unlike the Burton-Schumacher Gotham's, which were sort of a surreal-gothic type thing that made the former films more fantasy-like in their presentation. But best of all, they've made a Batman film that has more to do with the workings of the inner mind than the antics of plastic characters. For example, the fight scenes are from the villan perspective, and you get a sense of the terror the criminal feels when fighting Batman instead of the "Bif-Bam-Boom" comics fighting in the previous films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFMF Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 It was OK - it was a good beginning to the Batman series. I thought the scarecrow or whatever it was, was really scary. I think it was a bit long though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfchylde Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Actually Im kind of surprised everyone keeps saying Gotham looks like a modern city... I mean it SORTA does, but there's serious elements of Blade Runner in the way the slums and the high rises are juxtaposed (I recall the art director specifically going for that look). I have NO complaints overall with the movie though, I really feel that it works as both a "comic book" movie, an action movie... hell a MOVIE movie. Its good cinema, and I think they've done an ASTOUNDING job keeping the tone both dark and gritty and yet keeping it from becoming TOO dark (there ARE moments of humor in the movie, its just subtle dry humor which WORKS in the context of the film, keeping it from being too "stiff"). Bale does something NO other actor has done thus far... he plays both an excellent Batman AND an excellent Bruce Wayne. This alone makes me love this franchise (yes, there will be more coming *does happy dance* :)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yammichi Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 This Movie Rocked, I have always been a fan of Batman..well not the Adam west Batman, or the earlier animated one.....too Sissy.........but the Darker more grittierBatman Rules so this movie was Killer, Batman, and Batman returns were ok, but Forever and Batman and Robin were Pure Crap, Micheal Keaton was the best Batman I think......just used Killmer and Clooney to attract more women to the movie, Hence the rubber Butt shots in both movies..........LONG LIVE THE DARK KNIGHT..........(Super man is a Sissy) Sorry couldn't help myself............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerotop Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 sounds good have to watch it if i can get my hands on a good dvdr copy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carcynsdad Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 i thought it was excellent, i even got into a debate over that fact at work with a co-worker, but then again this is the same fool that said spiderman 2 sucked because of the love interrest. come on man that is the way the story is supposed to go! damn it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TV Man Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 ....(Super man is a Sissy)... Well wait until the Superman fans get here. I think your in for a bit of a dust up! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenriswolf Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 The new Batman is far closer to the Frank Miller version and I love it to bits (yes I know about Bob Kane) - very dark, atmospheric and gritty - fantastic stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detor Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 The movie is better than the last two ( couldn't be worse) But i still think that the first 2 movies were much better. The adoptation of the comic book story wasn't so correct though. Bruce Wayne had his trainings to become Batman in very different places. And i don't remember his teacher becoming his enemy kind of thing in any limited series i've read. The romance with Holmes was really senseless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detor Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 And Superman Kicks ass, Batman is nothing more than a lunatic as his vilians are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake34 Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 The Tumbler rocks too. It sure would make the trip to work a lot easier. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenriswolf Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 The movie is better than the last two ( couldn't be worse) But i still think that the first 2 movies were much better. The adoptation of the comic book story wasn't so correct though. Bruce Wayne had his trainings to become Batman in very different places. And i don't remember his teacher becoming his enemy kind of thing in any limited series i've read. The romance with Holmes was really senseless. It's meant as a whole new start/look to the Batman legacy. Rather like the new Batman (the Batman) cartoon revamps the whole story again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jancli3000 Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 I like it very much, was the most real movie. My rating is also 9.5 out of 10. Bye!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky1980 Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Damm good film, one of the best comice book films in a long time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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