Batman Begins

Post by **Loredoctor** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:54 am

From what I have heard and read, it may be an outstanding movie!

Post by **wayfriend** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:17 pm

Matrixman wrote:I went to Ebert's website and it says his review won't be posted until the film's day of release. Whatever.

Isn't such a review moratorium (when mandated by the producers) a sign of movie which is known to be bad before it even gets out?
(Of course, the Batman franchise has a particular history with flopping before it's even released, due to early reviews. So this may be pro forma. However, the people who caused that very debacle rave about this one. Then again, the movie advertises on their site. Gah! Paranoia is after me!)

Post by **Loredoctor** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:58 pm

Wayfriend wrote:
Matrixman wrote:I went to Ebert's website and it says his review won't be posted until the film's day of release. Whatever.
Isn't such a review moratorium (when mandated by the producers) a sign of movie which is known to be bad before it even gets out?
(Of course, the Batman franchise has a particular history with flopping before it's even released, due to early reviews. So this may be pro forma. However, the people who caused that very debacle rave about this one. Then again, the movie advertises on their site. Gah! Paranoia is after me!)

There are many reviews out already.

Post by **Loredoctor** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:33 pm

I will be seeing the movie today! Expect one of my critical and pedantic reviews!

Post by **matrixman** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 1:43 am

Give us the scoop, LM!

Post by **Loredoctor** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:52 am

Didn't see it! Had to arrange the bond with the real estate of my new place, and by the time I got back to the city the next showing was too late for me.

Post by **wayfriend** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:35 pm

Saw it.

It's very good, no one will be disappointed. I won't say much, unless someone asks for more.

I would give it an 8 out of 10, where I would give Spiderman 1 an 8.5, and XMen 1 a 6. (I would give The Hulk a 7 -- so my scale might not be yours!)

BTW: Christian Bale ain't Thomas Covenant. At least, not here.

(Actually, what I found mildly uncomfortable is that his facial expressions continually reminded me of our current president - same mouth structure or something. I know that's odd. But it pulled me out of the movie a few times - I guess I find GWB distasteful at an unconscious level.)

Post by **Old Darth** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:06 pm

Awesome flick with an unbelievable cast. Loved it - Spidey 2 still ranks number one for me.

Think NinjaBatman - he strikes fear into the hearts of criminals.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:32 pm

The movie was great. On par with Spiderman, a bit better than the X-men, and way, way, WAY better than Hulk or Daredevil.

Post by **Loredoctor** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:52 pm

Post by **onewyteduck** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:54 pm

I went because hubby wanted to go. I expected to be totally bored as I had been with the previous Batman flicks.

WRONG!

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:58 pm

Saw this last night. I think I had too many expectations, that the movie didn't quite meet. Sure, it's the best Batman movie ever, but it could've been much better.

Post by **The Leper Fairy** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:42 am

Ooh, I used to be in loooove with batman when I was just a yitto girl. I'm so glad to hear that it rocks, I can't wait... but I might have to wait until the video (Hooray for small towns with one movie a week) Augh.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 12:40 pm

dlbpharmd wrote:Saw this last night. I think I had too many expectations, that the movie didn't quite meet. Sure, it's the best Batman movie ever, but it could've been much better.

Bah, quit whining. Here are a few non-spoiler thoughts I have about Batman Begins:

1 - Christian Bale is the first actor to get both Bruce Wayne and Batman right......what a treat that is!

2 - The fight scenes; I think that's what I hated most about the 80's/90's Batman....almost every fight looked like a broadway musical, and it got worse as the series went on...it was like they were trying to give it the feel of the 60's tv show without the complete corniness; unfortunataly, there is no way to make a fight scene realistic if you're trying to make it like the '60's tv show. These fight scenes were more like what I now expect.

3 - The plot; like the Hulk, this movie did not assume you knew everything about Bruce Wayne; unlike the Hulk, even though I did read all the comics and know quite a bit about Bruce (both Bruces, actually) I was not bored to tears waiting for Batman to finally show up. Still, I would have liked to see him sooner in the movie, but that's just me. But when he did show up, I was impressed. He even looked a bit scary, which was very welcomed by me; the dude is supposed to be scary!!!!

Overall, I think it was an 8.5-9 out of a 10.

Post by **Warmark Jay** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:13 pm

Here's the thing: "Batman Begins" makes the previous four films look really, really juvenile and silly. Yeah, Tim Burton, I'm talkin' to you. EVERYTHING is a vast improvement upon the others. Examples:

Gotham City: Nolan's Gotham looks like it could be a real place, combining the worst elements of Chicago and NYC. Yet there's enough of the comic book in it (the monorails, The Narrows) to remind us that this is a fantasy, an urban nightmare come to life.

The "toys": first, we're given a plausible backstory on both how Bruce Wayne could've come to possess his utility belt, Batsuit, and the other tricks of the trade. Then we get a clever bit of dialogue that answers a question I've always asked: if Bruce bought all this stuff, wouldn't there be a paper trail? Finally - and this is good direction - they're not a "crutch" for the Batman. Burton seemed to delight in quick close-ups of the grappling hook, Batarangs, flying cape, etc. In this film the Bondian element of the gadgets as deus ex machina is removed; it's all about Bats and his abilities.

The villians: For once, it's not all about them. And for once, they're geniunely scary and not clownish buffoons. Leave the kids at home.

The girlfriend: Granted, I kept leaning over to my wife and saying things like "The Fear Gas wouldn't have had any effect on her had she taken vitamins. Vitamins can cure anything!" and jumping up on my seat during the film loudly proclaiming my love for Katie Holmes. But her final scene with Bruce, and what she tells him about himself, was a good one.

Bruce Wayne: If you were to sit down and watch this movie without knowing what it was, you'd never guess it was a Batman flick. That's a compliment. At turns hilarious and terrifying (the scene where he interrogates Flass - THAT is the Batman, and put Keaton and all the others to shame), Bale is fantastic.

Can't wait to see the next two. And hope they keep the creative team intact; give Nolan whatever he wants to come back and direct the others!

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:49 pm

Bah, quit whining.

Like I said, it's the best Batman movie ever, and without a doubt Bales is the best Batman/Bruce Wayne. I guess my biggest beef is the camera work during the fight scenes - it was too close on the players. Was Batman kicking ass or getting his ass kicked? Who could tell with the camera right on his shoulder?

Spoiler

I was also a bit ticked that Liam Neeson turned out to be Ras al Ghul.

The best part? The Scarecrow was excellent!

Post by **Warmark Jay** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:35 pm

guess my biggest beef is the camera work during the fight scenes - it was too close on the players. Was Batman kicking ass or getting his ass kicked? Who could tell with the camera right on his shoulder?

See, I liked that aspect - it gave the fight scenes some added suspense and realism (again, I'll refer to the DREADFUL fight scenes in the other Batman flicks). The fight scenes reminded me of the fights in Miller's books. Real fights are quick, dirty, and if you're a two-bit criminal getting a beat-down from the Dark Knight, you don't know where the next punch or kick is coming from.

And

Spoiler

having Ducard turn out to be Ras al Ghul was not a complete surprise, but it was a nice touch. Bruce struggles with "crossing the line" through the picture, and showing that his mentor - who seemingly empathized with this struggle - is the living example of what becomes of a man who twists justice into vengence added a lot more depth to the story.

Post by **dANdeLION** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:22 pm

dlbpharmd wrote:I was also a bit ticked that
Spoiler
Liam Neeson turned out to be Ras al Ghul.
The best part? The Scarecrow was excellent!

Come on, you had to know

Spoiler

Liam was Ras

from the beginning! I knew who the Scarecrow was the first time I saw his alter-ego, too.....guess my Spidey-sense was tingling. Scarecrow was indeed great.

Post by **Warmark** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:04 pm

dANdeLION wrote:
dlbpharmd wrote:
Spoiler
I was also a bit ticked that Liam Neeson turned out to be Ras al Ghul. The best part? The Scarecrow was excellent
!

Spoiler
Come on, you had to know Liam was Ras from the beginning!
.

well i certainly will now...

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:16 pm

Warmark wrote:
dANdeLION wrote:
dlbpharmd wrote:
Spoiler
I was also a bit ticked that Liam Neeson turned out to be Ras al Ghul.
The best part? The Scarecrow was excellent!
Come on, you had to know
Spoiler
Liam was Ras
from the beginning! .
well i certainly will now...

sorry, edit your post and dAN will too.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Batman Begins