Back to the beginning...
So, they decided to hit the reset button and go back to the very beginning with the latest Batman movie. This is not a bad thing, considering how bad things had gotten with Joel Schumacher's campy, neon lit, nipples on the batsuit and massive cod-pieces version. So going back to the beginning, with a darker vision, was probably the best way to go, to reset things and get back to the Dark Knight type of Batman.
The question, of course, is 'does it work?' And I would have to say....sort of. Batman Begins was really a mixxed bag for me. This re-telling of the origin of Batman provides a decent examination of the psychology behind a man dressing up as a bat and chasing criminals around Gotham, and also does a credible job showing how developed his incredible skills - training with the ninjas on some remote far-Eastern mountain top. I'd always kind of wondered where Batman became such a skilled warrior - what with his ability to take on numerous well-armed adversaries without taking so much as a scratch - and this film does a good job of showing exactly how this came to be.
Its when Batman comes back to Gotham and starts excercising these incredible skills where the film falls down. Its all well and good to see the tortured soul of Bruce Wayne, but its also nice (especially in a comic book movie) to see some decent action. Too bad the action scenes in this film are about the worst you can imagine. Director Christopher Nolan has chosen to have all of them done in close-ups that make it impossible to tell what is actually happening - something that I personally find to be kind of annoying. Not that I want to see blood and gore, or expect Batman to suddenly become Neo and start kicking Agent Smith ass all over the screen, but in any film I, as the viewer, do appreciate being able to actually see what is happening. Isn't this what going to the movies is about? And when you have to wade through so much dark, brooding Bruce Wayne bullshit only to have the Batman kicking ass scenes reduced to a jerky camera and some sound effects...well, thats less than satisfying, isn't it?
So - overall, we have a dark film that gets the viewer into the psychology behind Bruce Wayne's donning of the cape and cowl, but which fails to deliver with the action that a comic book movie needs -and lets not forget that despite all the darkness and psychology this is still a 'comic book' movie. A little humour to lighten the tone a tad might also be in order. All that being said, I did think the movie was ok - not that I would rush out to see it again or anything, but it shows some promise, and was an intersesting take on a familiar story.
Overall - I'd give this a 6.5/10....there is plenty of room for improvement in the inevitable sequel...
The question, of course, is 'does it work?' And I would have to say....sort of. Batman Begins was really a mixxed bag for me. This re-telling of the origin of Batman provides a decent examination of the psychology behind a man dressing up as a bat and chasing criminals around Gotham, and also does a credible job showing how developed his incredible skills - training with the ninjas on some remote far-Eastern mountain top. I'd always kind of wondered where Batman became such a skilled warrior - what with his ability to take on numerous well-armed adversaries without taking so much as a scratch - and this film does a good job of showing exactly how this came to be.
Its when Batman comes back to Gotham and starts excercising these incredible skills where the film falls down. Its all well and good to see the tortured soul of Bruce Wayne, but its also nice (especially in a comic book movie) to see some decent action. Too bad the action scenes in this film are about the worst you can imagine. Director Christopher Nolan has chosen to have all of them done in close-ups that make it impossible to tell what is actually happening - something that I personally find to be kind of annoying. Not that I want to see blood and gore, or expect Batman to suddenly become Neo and start kicking Agent Smith ass all over the screen, but in any film I, as the viewer, do appreciate being able to actually see what is happening. Isn't this what going to the movies is about? And when you have to wade through so much dark, brooding Bruce Wayne bullshit only to have the Batman kicking ass scenes reduced to a jerky camera and some sound effects...well, thats less than satisfying, isn't it?
So - overall, we have a dark film that gets the viewer into the psychology behind Bruce Wayne's donning of the cape and cowl, but which fails to deliver with the action that a comic book movie needs -and lets not forget that despite all the darkness and psychology this is still a 'comic book' movie. A little humour to lighten the tone a tad might also be in order. All that being said, I did think the movie was ok - not that I would rush out to see it again or anything, but it shows some promise, and was an intersesting take on a familiar story.
Overall - I'd give this a 6.5/10....there is plenty of room for improvement in the inevitable sequel...
posted by Steve at
8:49 PM
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