Batman Begins (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
What a way to breathe new life into a franchise. 'Batman Begins', directed by Christopher Nolan, is the 5th Batman film (a prequel of sorts) to be made & it rivals the previous best which was the 1st one (with Michael Keaton). Young Bruce Wayne witnesses the murders of his parents, feels guilt because of it, becomes an adult (Christian Bale), & fulfils his destiny to fight evil as a superhero. We find out how Bruce is afraid of bats as a child & how that fear leads to the eventual deaths of his parents. As an adult, Bruce embraces the bat persona, thus making him quite the ominous figure. This 'Batman' has more emphasis on the legacy of Bruce Wayne, and all other characters, as a whole. There's less emphasis on action, & I like that a lot. In fact, the action sequences are erratic & unexciting, at times. Sometimes, there is just too much over-the-top action in superhero flicks & not enough of a plot. This has the substance; very solid film.
The story kicks into gear when Bruce is rescued from an Asian prison camp by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard wants Bruce to join his crime-fighting League of Shadows. But when his membership calls for him to murder a man ... he just can't do it. Ducard becomes an enemy & Bruce flees back to Gotham City to take back control of the Wayne Corp. to fight a bevy of evil-doers (mob boss Carmine Falcone & Dr. Crane/Scarecrow, a mad psychiatrist who magically tricks his enemies into becoming clinically insane). To fight this evil, he enlists the guidance of tech-savvy Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). He understands Bruce's revenge-driven ambitions & gives him the necessary weapons & artillery to fight (this includes the famous Batsuit & Batmobile).
Bruce's love interest, per say, comes in the form of Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). She is disenchanted by his latest antics of partying around town & throwing caution to the wind when he has such a highly distinguished profile as Bruce Wayne. Holmes is cute, competent, but anyone else could have played Rachel and could have done it better. Any scene btwn. Bruce & she is a big fat 'no one cares'. And most of the dialogue involving her is listless. In the absence of his parents, Bruce's father figure is in the form of his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine). He's always there to listen to Bruce, offer his quiet opinions, & guide him the moral way. Bruce would lack direction & a certain focus in his life if it were not for loyal Alfred. Caine plays him with great care.
The main narrative drive in the film involves Bruce/Batman trying to stop the eventual leaking of poisonous gas in to Gotham City that will make citizens become crazy. A drug was planted in Gotham's water system & vaporized into the air. This evil is orchestrated by the Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy, of 28 Days Later). I will not say what happens, but I will say that it is exciting & leaves the door open for yet another Batman film.
It has been said that this cinematic prequel is not entirely faithful to the comic books (of which I've never read). To this I say, so what? Not everyone who views this film will have read the books, & I hardly see any devout Batman fans saying that this film 'sucked'. This film is successful for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we see real motives & depth of character. It's great to see the evolution of Bruce becoming Batman. And it's great to see extended scenes of the relationship he had with his father, Thomas Wayne. The focus of the film is on Batman & not a myriad of campy villains ... that's a huge plus. The script is intriguing, the acting is stellar, the musical score fits the movie, the sound effects are outstanding; but above all, we can believe that Batman could exist in the real world.
The story kicks into gear when Bruce is rescued from an Asian prison camp by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard wants Bruce to join his crime-fighting League of Shadows. But when his membership calls for him to murder a man ... he just can't do it. Ducard becomes an enemy & Bruce flees back to Gotham City to take back control of the Wayne Corp. to fight a bevy of evil-doers (mob boss Carmine Falcone & Dr. Crane/Scarecrow, a mad psychiatrist who magically tricks his enemies into becoming clinically insane). To fight this evil, he enlists the guidance of tech-savvy Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). He understands Bruce's revenge-driven ambitions & gives him the necessary weapons & artillery to fight (this includes the famous Batsuit & Batmobile).
Bruce's love interest, per say, comes in the form of Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). She is disenchanted by his latest antics of partying around town & throwing caution to the wind when he has such a highly distinguished profile as Bruce Wayne. Holmes is cute, competent, but anyone else could have played Rachel and could have done it better. Any scene btwn. Bruce & she is a big fat 'no one cares'. And most of the dialogue involving her is listless. In the absence of his parents, Bruce's father figure is in the form of his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine). He's always there to listen to Bruce, offer his quiet opinions, & guide him the moral way. Bruce would lack direction & a certain focus in his life if it were not for loyal Alfred. Caine plays him with great care.
The main narrative drive in the film involves Bruce/Batman trying to stop the eventual leaking of poisonous gas in to Gotham City that will make citizens become crazy. A drug was planted in Gotham's water system & vaporized into the air. This evil is orchestrated by the Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy, of 28 Days Later). I will not say what happens, but I will say that it is exciting & leaves the door open for yet another Batman film.
It has been said that this cinematic prequel is not entirely faithful to the comic books (of which I've never read). To this I say, so what? Not everyone who views this film will have read the books, & I hardly see any devout Batman fans saying that this film 'sucked'. This film is successful for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we see real motives & depth of character. It's great to see the evolution of Bruce becoming Batman. And it's great to see extended scenes of the relationship he had with his father, Thomas Wayne. The focus of the film is on Batman & not a myriad of campy villains ... that's a huge plus. The script is intriguing, the acting is stellar, the musical score fits the movie, the sound effects are outstanding; but above all, we can believe that Batman could exist in the real world.