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CinemaSins Movie Reviews
We are launched back into time, before sequel spawned yet another sequel, to the origins of Batman…
Dang, this was good. Now, the first Batman movie was WONDERFUL, and I can’t really praise it too highly, but the sequels SUCKED BIG ROCKS. And that’s being kind to them. I gave up after the first two…they weren’t even campy or amusing, just stupid.
But the previews for Batman Begins were good, nice tone, good special effects, no stupid campy crap…so I thought, what the heck, let’s give it a try…and I was very happy I did.
This was the first movie in a five movie day, and was a good starting place. Christian Bale made a good young Batman. The basics of the story were there, with suitable and appropriate embellishment. This time Arkham Asylum (a staple of latter-day Batman stories) was included as well, and the Scarecrow was great.
And a THREE HONEY MOVIE: Liam Neeson (but he kept his shirt on, darn it. I’ll have to watch Rob Roy again (oops, I’m drooling, sorry)), Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. Yowzah! That was the first three honey movie since Wild Wild West, very nice.
Katie Holmes plays the girl in this one, and actually she isn’t bad, cute as a box full of puppies, she would probably have done well…except of course for her recent connection to Tom Cruise, a not entirely well thought out move on her part, in the same way that hitting the iceberg was not a well thought out move for the Titanic…if you get my drift….(get it? drift?).
Anyway. Leaving aside the tons o’ gossip, there is only one thing that I didn’t like about this movie…I think because they were trying to not only live down the rampant silliness of the many stupid Batman sequels, and usher in a new age of serious Batmanosity, and also because they wanted to reflect the fact that many of the Batman stories go way beyond “dark” or even “noir” into “frickin’ wierd and depressing” land, this movie has very little sense of humor…and that’s not a good thing.
Firstly, it’s hard for even good special effects and explosions to carry a movie all by themselves…you need good dialogue, and good characterizations, and for that you need a few touches of humor. Oh, there were some…Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, both excellent in their roles, were really good at this…but I don’t think Christian Bale ever even smiled, much less unbent enough to say or do anything mildly amusing…
But the ending is good. And it was nice to see Rutger Hauer again, as well.
Go see it, it’s good, lots of action, a nice plot line, if the planned sequels (which have everyone in the cast EXCEPT KATIE HOLMES already signed to them, nuf sed) are as good as this was, we’ll be enjoying them til we’re 90.
But then go back and watch the Michael Keaton Batman. And just enjoy the heck out of it. Save me a seat, I’ll be right over.
theotterlimits 