Posted on 06/15/2005 7:56:12 PM PDT by Destro
`Batman Begins' terffic superhero movie
www.chinaview.cn 2005-06-16 09:38:13
BEIJING, June 16 -- Pre-adolescent Bruce Wayne falling into a well and being frightened by a flock of bats released from an underground cavern!
No. That opening scene is just about the last sour note in the 140 minutes or so that follow. "Batman Begins" is a terrific slice of Hollywood fantasy, a wonderful example of what can happen when good people spend a lot of money in service of getting it right.
Spider-Man was a great comic adaptation. X2 was masterfully written. And Christopher Reeves' Superman oozed with humanity.
Batman Begins has all those traits and more.
Director Christopher Nolan (the "Memento" guy) and his co-screenwriter David S. Goyer have returned to the comic-book character's roots to show how millionaire orphan Bruce Wayne became the Caped Crusader of Gotham City.
When we first meet Bruce Wayne (played here by Christian Bale), he's in a hellhole prison somewhere in Asia. Turns out he's on a deliberate quest, to learn fighting skills and toughen his body.
Freed from prison, he's put under the rigorous tutelage of Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and Ducard (Liam Neeson), who train a wild-sounding vigilante organization called the League of Shadows. I grew a little impatient to get to Gotham during these sequences, but it all pays off.
Back in the big city, Bruce lets faithful manservant Alfred (Michael Caine) in on his secret plans to become a justice-seeking crime fighter. (Good thing there's that cavern lying underneath stately Wayne manor, with lots of closet space for fear-instilling costumes and just right for parking a souped-up car - let's call it a Batmobile.)
Other aspects of the saga are deftly woven in: a policeman named Gordon (Gary Oldman), who appears to be the only honest cop in a corrupt Gotham. A friend of Bruce's father, now the overseer of the Applied Sciences department at Wayne Enterprises (a delicious role for Morgan Freeman, who does some lovely eyebrow-raising). An Enron-style CEO (Rutger Hauer) suspicious of Bruce's return to his father's corporation.
There's a love story, with childhood sweetheart Rachel. She's played by Katie Holmes, who used to be an actress but has recently been reclassified as Tom Cruise's girlfriend. But don't worry, this doesn't get too much in the way of the story.
In his first big challenge, Batman must battle Dr. Jonathan Crane (the unsettling Cillian Murphy, from "28 Days"), a psychiatrist with a crackpot plan to poison the city. One of the problems with keeping a "Batman" movie from getting too silly is the flamboyance of the archvillains, who can be pretty out there. "Batman Begins" comes up with an ingenious and logical reason for Crane to morph into a masked character known as The Scarecrow.
Of course, a superhero film requires more than likable actors. There has to be nasty villains, and Batman Begins delivers good ones. The most recognizable is The Scarecrow, portrayed with frightening credibility by Cillian Murphy. Although he dons a mask and does evil, the camp aspects of the super-villain prototype are missing, again adding believability and strength to the story.
If Batman Begins isn't the same extraordinary success Spider-Man was three years ago, it will be a huge disappointment. That's not because the movie studio could suffer, but because fans will if they don't see the film.
This is the real deal, a movie that comic book fans can point to as the perfect adaptation of their beloved medium.
(Agencies)
No big deal. To each their own. Some people like Harry Potter and I can't stand the character. If you are or have been a fan of comix, then you know what works and what does not. I thought the first two Batman movies made years ago were good. There was some camp in it but it attempted to stick to the darkness of the Batman character. The last two were more like the old television program or the Batman of the 50's and 60's.
If it took you that long to recognize Rutger Hauer from this movie, you probably still haven't recognized him from Sin City. :)
This movie is amazing though. Perfectly realized on every level.
I thought the first 2/3 or so was a really terrific movie.
Then it seemed to fall apart right around when the big bad's plot was being carried out. It just went on and on, and seemed to have lost its way.
(SPOILER WARNING)
Example: he has this awesome car, he drives like a madman -- and there's always the same cop car two car-lengths behind him. You don't get the feeling that he's accomplishing anything, that he's doing anything. He can't shake them for love nor money. Then, suddenly, he's in the bat cave, and they have no idea where he is.
And Rachel -- Bruce is worthless because he's a playboy bad boy who doesn't actually DO anything that matters; but then she doesn't want to be involved with him... because he's a serious guy who's DOING something that matters.
Huh?
I still like it, but where I'd give the preceding movie maybe 4 or 4.5 stars, I'd give the end maybe 2.5.
Dan
After the first Batman movie (the one by Tim Burton) I was hoping for a Ra's Shal Ghul appearance. Though I believe that Ra's is an arab and lives in the desert.
Hugo Strange would be pretty cool though it looks like the Joker is going to make an apperance in the next film (The guy from Back to the Future and Willard is going to play the Joker. Not a bad choice)
Now if they could just get Man-Bat.
The Mob Boss got taken down to easily after alot of build up. Though I guess he was just a puppet anyway.
Batman is actually the owner of the city. The old homestead. Private property, tenants pay rent and bad guys get tossed out.
Yes, that's exactly what he thinks; the whole "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" concept reinforces Bruce's stewardship of the city along with inheriting the legacy from his father.
Not a foul word to be found that I noted, a couple of good moments about the failings of socialism to solve societal ills and plenty of 70's blockbuster-type action without the teeth-grinding computer graphics.
It's a good movie first and half of it is non-Batman.
What gay subtext?
In the second movie, when Iceman tells his parents he's a mutant, and his mom says "Can't you just not be a mutant?", the direct parallel is a gay/lesbian son or daughter coming out to their parents and getting rejected. This was mentioned in all the hype leading up to the movie.
Now, you don't have to view the scene that way, but that is how it was intended.
This one captures the "Dark Knight" feel very well. Gotham City is corrupt, dark, and dangerous. The Batmobile is fantastic!
The lead, Christian Bale, is a good choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman--he has the look, the voice, etc. Also well-cast are Michael Caine as Alfred (he's especially good), Gary Oldman as Gordon, Morgan Freeman as sort of a counterpart to 007's gadget guru, and Liam Neeson as Wayne's mentor. Katie Holmes as the love interest/Asst. DA is OK--not great, but OK. There are a few other key characters--a crime boss, a crooked cop, a spooky court psychiatrist.
Kept my interest throughout, very entertaining.
bump
Gary Oldham is probably the best actor going today, but he is in this cast among many great ones. It is amazing to me how well he just becomes whoever he is playing.
That, actually, should be considered a compliment! A great actor is one that makes you forget who the actor is, because you are so focused on the CHARACTER.
You know the actor stinks when you don't remember the character's name, only the actor's name.
ABBA doesn't perform anymore. If they did, I'd go see them too.
Agreed, Oldman is probably one of the most brilliant actors on the scene today.
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