Batman Begins Review
by Wahid Sharif (moodybastard_717 AT hotmail DOT com)June 28th, 2005
Batman Begins (2005)
a review by
Wahid Sharif
Two words to describe my feelings about "Batman Begins" - About Time. Or, better yet, the five words I said to myself after the closing credits appeared - What a great f*****g movie!
Whereas Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher stumbled with the four previous "Batman" films, Christopher Nolan keeps his balance nicely and works with something that Burton and Schumacher didn't have with their efforts - A three dimensional story about Batman/Bruce Wayne, and why he became the Caped Crusader. With "Batman Begins", Nolan doesn't make the mistake of paying more attention to the main villians than to Batman - Yes the villians here in this film are ruthless and presented well, as they threaten to unleash a lethal virus in the Gotham City water supply. However, Nolan doesn't forget what the title of this film is as we get to know some things about Bruce Wayne (played very well by Christian Bale) that's crucial to his
transformation - His need for vengeance and justice after witnessing the murder of his parents, his rage, his fear (especially his fear of bats) and his "association" with The League Of Shadows, lead by a mysterious man named Ducard (Liam Neeson in a strong performance) who pulls Bruce out of self-imposed exile.
What's even more impressive about "Batman Begins" is the gritty look of the film, the realistic action sequences which doesn't rely using an over-abundance of CGI effects, and how Nolan uses different elements of filmmaking the way a rock band (or any other musical band) would incorporate different elements of music along with what their normal style is. This film is an action film at its core, but there are elements of the science-fiction film, the horror/zombie movie, the psychological drama, and surrealism along the lines of Dali. When you see Batman in those surreal moments, you'll never see him the same way again - And that's a good thing, because it brilliantly displays the dark nature of his character. Of course, since this is a film based off a comic book character, some of the film's tongue-in-cheek humor works as well - Especially a moment towards the end that will leave you smiling and waiting with anticipation for the next Batman film.
The cast in this film, for the most part, does fine jobs with their roles - Bale and Neeson of course, Michael Caine as Alfred; the butler to Bruce Wayne, Morgan Freeman as scientist Lucious Fox, Tom Wilkinson as mob boss Carmine Falcone, and Gary Oldman as Lt. Jim Gordon. The only glaring weakness here is Katie Holmes, playing a character named Rachel Dawes who's an assistant D.A. that has known Bruce Wayne since childhood. Holmes comes off as a bit too girlish in her role. She's a fine actress and she has done solid work in other films, but there should have been someone else who comes off a little more grown up to play her role, and it's no coincidence as to why Holmes hasn't been asked back for the next Batman film, which I certainly can't wait to see. This is something I never said about the four previous films
GRADE: A
Wahid Sharif
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
