Batman Begins Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)June 15th, 2005
BATMAN BEGINS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
So you think you know all about the BATMAN movies and that they're nothing you'd be interested in? Well, think again. Thanks to the creative team of director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO) and actor Christian Bale (THE MACHINIST), as Batman, the latest Batman movie, which is a prequel to all of the others, raises the quality bar several notches over the previous efforts. BATMAN BEGINS, an exhilarating picture that is almost operatic in scope and impact, will easily appeal to Batman fans as well as moviegoers who wouldn't be caught dead looking at a comic book. One hopes that this latest film will do just as well at the box office as the recent SPIDER-MAN movies, since it is just as good and perhaps even better.
Although my absolutely favorite part of the film is the stirring and dramatic musical score by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, along with Nathan Crowley's production design and Wally Pfister's cinematography, most people will probably like best the strong performances, of which there many. Given a terrific cast, Nolan manages to get the most out of them, no matter how small their roles. Morgan Freeman is wonderful as the guy with the gadgets; Michael Caine makes an excellent right-hand man; Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer and Cillian Murphy make great villains; Gary Oldman does a nice turn as the only honest cop in town; and Katie Holmes is fetching as the love interest. Only Liam Neeson (KINGDOM OF HEAVEN) proves a bit disappointing, not so much for his performance as for his whole character, which never works as well as the other characters do. The only notably off part of the movie happens in a remote area of China, with Neeson's character training Bruce Wayne, soon to become Batman, in the ways of stealth fighting.
Probably the best proof for me about how enjoyable the movie was came at the hour-and-a-half mark. Looking at my watch, I found myself extremely disappointed that there was only a little less than an hour left. I didn't want it to end. I could easily have stayed glued to my seat for another two hours or more.
BATMAN BEGINS runs 2:21. It is rated PG-13 for "intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic element" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey and his friend Nick, both 16, gave it *** 1/2. Jeffrey particularly liked the background part of the story, and Nick liked how deep the plot was.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Wednesday, June 15, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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