Sunday, June 19, 2005
I just saw Batman Begins. Wow. You should too.
I'm no comic freak but I always liked the 1989 Batman movie, and I liked Michael Keaton as Batman. But Batman Begins makes it look like a cartoon and Christian Bale just owns the title role. Batman has always been my favourite comic superhero. Part of it was that Bruce Wayne was always cooler and less cringeworthy than Clark Kent the doofus, geeky Peter Parker or er, a bunch of freaky mutants. And part of it was that Batman is human, not someone with special powers. Batman Begins scores big on both accounts.
I know it'll sound odd, but what makes Batman Begins work is that it adds a dose of plausibility to the story. It gives it more strength by grounding the story in some semblance of reality. The Batcave is not a high-tech lair; it's actually a cave. There's no 24th Century high-speed tube that whisks Bruce Wayne from Manor to Cave; now it's an old-fashioned secret door and a service elevator to abandoned slave quarters. We see where the suit comes from, how Bruce Wayne learned to fight, and why he's so suited to flitting about dark places and disappearing suddenly. It's important because for the first time you really feel like Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person. There's no massive disconnect between the man in the business suit and the man in the rubber suit.
Batman naturally and logically dominates the film, but the rest of the characters are also fantastic. I love the film's villains, especially the unbelievably creepy Scarecrow. That guy didn't NEED to put on a mask, because Cillian Murphy's absurdly big and glassy eyes and bizarre complexion was creepy enough. I could go on and on, but special mention must be given to Gary Oldman's restrained version of (future Commissioner) Gordon. The cast is loaded with big names and they all put in very strong performances.
I really can't stop talking about this film. There is so much to like and so much that's just right about it (like the way it seems Batman never stands straight to talk to someone, he's always perched somewhere). Everyone needs to see this. Seriously, it stomps Spider-man into itty little bits. Watch it!
Posted at 5:07 AM
