|
| Batman Begins | 
| Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  1245 reviews
Sales Rank: 4362
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 141 minutes
ASIN: B0014D6PCO
Theatrical Release Date: June 15, 2005
Release Date: November 7, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
|
| Customer Reviews:
 the best batman! June 21, 2005
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
batman begins is probaly the best batman movie ever!christopher nolan is the best deirector ever!tim burton is my second best! steavon seilberg and goerge lucas ids my third. it's the best!
Christopher Nolan: YOU are the best! June 21, 2005
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Batman Begins is, without a doubt, the best movie of the franchise. Less a crowd-pleasing pop video (Batman & Robin, diak!) and much more a true disturbing, adult film, this is the best approximation of Bob Kane's comic book, if not a "literal" version, which I applaud.
The film, directed by genius Christopher Nolan, has at its core, the real struggle of a man who's not perfect, makes mistakes, has a lot of anger but at the same time, tries to balance all those nasty inner feelings by doing something for the "greater good", but as a flawed man, can't control feeling a little bit excited by tormenting other disguise as a bat (which is a little sick, but understandable).
It's complex movie, filled with contradictions that play beautifully against each other. At the core if the plot is, of course, Bruce Wayne, a multimillionaire boy that watches how his loving parents are killed by a mugger, and from that day, becomes a whirl of rage and anger. Guardian by his faithful butler, Alfred (wonderful Michael Caine), Wayne grows intensifying his guilt and hatred, until he leaves to study the natures of evil, and meets Ducard (Liam Neeson), a man who becomes his mentor and teaches him to confront his fears.
Wayne decides to return to Gotham City to fight crime and injustice, and in the process decides to use a bat as a symbol to terrorize the criminals that have plagued his natal but very corrupted city. In his fight, some allies help him (Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman's Sergeant Gordon and Katie Holmes' Rachel) in one way or other to achieve his goal, although I must say, with lots of ups and downs.
We discover why Wayne identifies with bats, why he hates evil, and this story is given to us with depth and a complex psychological background. The process itself of becoming a hero is slow and full of mistakes. Batman isn't born from one day to other. It takes painful lessons that we are pleased to see.
I didn't feel there were a lot of special effects in the movie, but I was grateful for that. Moviemakers often confuse saturation of effects with plot development, and Batman is not one of those films (Episode III is). The characters are given a lot to do to cement the storyline. And there are not cheesy love plots like the past movies, although I must say Holmes's character, though tries to be sort of a working class girl, is so irrelevant (because of her acting, it's like watching Dawson's Creek) we don't mind her fate.
Everything in this movie is dark and gritty, from the production design to the characters, and it's a welcome change. The gadgets, the batsuit, even the car is raw and not fancy modern items like they were purchased from a sharper image catalog.
In terms of acting, Bale comes strong like the caped crusader, and I can't wait to see him evolve in the next chapter. Freeman and Caine are the other two rocks of this movie, and I loved Gary Oldman vulnerable Sergeatn Gordon.
Kudos also to the screenwriter and Chris Nolan, for creating such an remarkable film and the very ultimate definition of what a superhero movie should be. I cant' wait to buy the DVD!
The Real Batman June 21, 2005
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Christopher Nolan, with his new Batman Christian Bale, set out to tear down the franchise as it existed in the previous four "Batman" films and reconstruct it anew. They did so with great success by building the movie around the Batman character, and by building the Batman character bit by bit.
Here were the two main problems with the Batman franchise in the other four films: (1) the directors; (2) the Batmans. Pretty deadly combination. And be honest, it's true. Fans of the Batman comics despised the choice of Michael Keaton to play Batman, and I thought he actually did a better job as Batman than as a rather doddering Bruce Wayne. But he was upstaged by the villains (especially JACK) and Keaton's weak chin always detracted from the stalwart defender-of-justice Batman is supposed to be. Tim Burton did a decent job in the semi-plotless Batman, but he mailed it in on the sets and atmosphere in Batman Returns and all that rot about hiding behind masks was just a useless directorial essay inspired by a 17-year old (at that point) Billy Joel song, The Stranger. Who cared?
As for Val Kilmer -- a nondescript Batman and Bruce Wayne hampered by a cruddy director (Joel Schumacher), a poor script, an overemphasis on the man-boobs in the batsuit and a just-picking-up-my-paycheck performance by Tommy Lee Jones. So bad, I didn't even see Batman & Robin, with the over-smug George Clooney and what were reportedly the two worst performances by villains in any action movie not involving Timothy Dalton.
So the bar is not high for Batman Begins to beat any of the prior four. It does, but it does more than that. Indeed, if Batman Begins had been the first of the five Batman movies, its reputation as one of the most mismanaged comic-hero legacies would never have been made. And here's why:
First, the Batman. Christian Bale is a creepy bugger primarily because of his starring turn in American Psycho. But as a brooding, damaged and haunted Bruce Wayne, he conveys the essential roots of the Dark Knight as an avenger who will do justice better than any other on-screen Batman. Indeed, the only one who approximates Bale's heavy soul is Kevin Conroy -- the voice actor who was Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. A milquetoast Kilmer and clueless-playboy Keaton did not come anywhere near to conveying Bruce Wayne's pain or dark side; Bale hits those notes and does it well.
Second, the direction and story. Christopher Nolan essentially destroys the previous Batman movies in order to recreate the legend here. Batman begins as a rich American in a Southeast Asian wilderness who has lost his sense of himself, only vaguely knows his ultimate goal and needs a lifeline from the mysterious Henri Ducard to help him find his way. Nolan shows the decline of Gotham as it parallelled the decline of the Wayne family, the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, the child's stifling guilt and loss of his moorings, his Asian martial arts training (shown also in the animated series) and his initial fight against the corruption of Gotham. Through all this, Nolan is capable of showing the building of the basic foundation of the legend: the Batcave, the Batmobile, the Batsuit, the utility belt, and the answer to Joker's question in the 1989 Batman: "where does he get those wonderful toys?"
Some critics complain that this is a slower, duller Batman. Not so: there's plenty of action throughout, but this really isn't a classic action movie, it's an action movie and a drama rolled into one.
Third, the villains: not merely outcasts who are oddly twisted by fluke physical transformations, the Batman Begins villains are power hungry, clever and coldly evil.
There are weaknesses: Katie Holmes is 26 but seems 21; so she's miscast as a hard-charging anti-corruption assistant DA. The motivations of the Scarecrow (one of the villains) is unexplored (although that may be fodder for another film) and there are other minor concerns.
Ultimately, however, Batman Begins is the only Batman movie that is a flat-out good movie. It deserves the sequel it will spawn.
Epic June 21, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I think we're in for good things with the new Batman movies. Batman Begins is epic in scope and feel. At 2 hours and 20 minutes, a lot happens in the film. Not only does it setup how Bruce Wayne became the Batman but it also introduces a slew of baddies and sets an epic struggle for Gotham City. I remember as the movie ramped up to an excellent climax, sitting there and seeing everything that was happening and I wondered, THIS is the BEGINNING? It was so well executed that it felt like the end of an epic series, rather than the beginning.
And what a beginning it is. Taking different aspects from the comic books, Director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer create a very realistic universe while at the same time making it thematically Batman.
The big bone of contention is probably the Batmobile which looks nothing like the comics nor any of the movies. I happen to like it, it's a different take on it and fits into their realistic mode more than the sleek and slender car does. The other slight problem is that Christian Bale's "Batman voice" gets pretty corny towards the end. His growling at enemies, while masking his voice true, really takes away from the drama and tension of the scenes.
The villains are great as well. Cillian Murphy (from 28 Days Later) is my favorite as the Scarecrow. Talk about gritty and pretty frightening. Tom Wilkinson as a mobster also was really well done.
I don't know what to say about this movie that doesn't spoil the joy found within. All I can say is that this is the best version of Batman released yet. It even towers above the Tim Burton Batmans that I loved back in the 90s. It's a great new start, and Christopher Nolan isn't shying away. Look for the gutsy calling card at the end of the film. A very gutsy move indeed for the next villain. Great film, great time, I doubly recommend it. The summer movie season has finally begun.
Can't wait to buy the DVD June 21, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
After being bitterly disapponted after seeing Revenge of the Sith I was half expecting to see another dismal franchise film, thankfully I was wrong.
Batman Begins is a fantastic film in most ways, it's entertaining, action packed, has a good mix of chemisty with the talent, decent plot with some twists and most importantly it has ninjas. Any films with ninjas in it can't be too bad after all.
This film is dark like the original Burton films but has a better cast, plot and overall style to it. I thought the best Batman was Micheal Keaton, however Christian Bale captures the character of moody Bruce Wayne just as well or even better than Keaton.
You can't go wrong with any film that has the acting likes of Morgan Freeman in it, like Samuel L. Jackson Freeman always delivers a certain cool and an excellent performance to ANY film he has starred in.
Gary Oldman and Liam Neeson also add to the overall effectiveness of the plot with both actors making their roles in this film their own and adding a distinct class and style to the movie.
Go see this film you wont be disappointed, now just have to wait for DVD to be released.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
