Clay
I was surprised: I liked this one a lot more than I expected to. In spite of the fact that Nerd is my dominant Tao, most comic book movies really gross me out (i.e. Fantastic 4, Spiderman, etc) due to the typically poor acting, wretched dialog, and predictably childish action scenes.
I am not suggesting that Batman Begins lacks any of these things; indeed, the dialog is often sub-cliche (low point: a character witnessing the batmobile rip shit up: "I gotta get me one of those") and Katie Holmes' character is a predictably 'strong, independent femme who nevertheless needs rescuing' sort...but beyond these occasional annoyances, BB does a really good job of rejuvinating a familiar theme via great cinematography, ambiance, and constant movement.
The lead actor (Christian Bale) is a bizarre, plastic fellow who's lack of facial emotions is both appropriate and somewhat annoying IMHO. K. Holmes is hot and competent, enough said. Morgan Freeman is a bit character who seems directly lifted from his role in Shawshank ("They keep me down here..don't think they'll ever let me out!"..sound familiar?), but my favorite character was, by far, The Scarecrow. This lesser-known actor (Cillian Murphy) who plays the insane psychiatrist brings a freakish twist to a 'stock baddie' role, managing to keep his performance fresh thanks to great directorial decisions. For this, the kudos must naturally go to the director, Christopher Nolan [Memento!!], who clearly knows how to use cameras, effects, and props to freshen up what might otherwise have been a really trite action flick.
I am not suggesting that Batman Begins lacks any of these things; indeed, the dialog is often sub-cliche (low point: a character witnessing the batmobile rip shit up: "I gotta get me one of those") and Katie Holmes' character is a predictably 'strong, independent femme who nevertheless needs rescuing' sort...but beyond these occasional annoyances, BB does a really good job of rejuvinating a familiar theme via great cinematography, ambiance, and constant movement.
The lead actor (Christian Bale) is a bizarre, plastic fellow who's lack of facial emotions is both appropriate and somewhat annoying IMHO. K. Holmes is hot and competent, enough said. Morgan Freeman is a bit character who seems directly lifted from his role in Shawshank ("They keep me down here..don't think they'll ever let me out!"..sound familiar?), but my favorite character was, by far, The Scarecrow. This lesser-known actor (Cillian Murphy) who plays the insane psychiatrist brings a freakish twist to a 'stock baddie' role, managing to keep his performance fresh thanks to great directorial decisions. For this, the kudos must naturally go to the director, Christopher Nolan [Memento!!], who clearly knows how to use cameras, effects, and props to freshen up what might otherwise have been a really trite action flick.
I'd easily give this one a 6/8 pizza slices. Perfect for anyone who liked the first Batman film but hasn’t really enjoyed them since. Very solid action movie with twists and great effects.
No comments:
Post a Comment