1989 . . . . Batman
1992 . . . . Batman Returns
1995 . . . . Batman Forever
1997 . . . . Batman & Robin
2005 . . . . Batman Begins . . . . this one blows them all away. Hell, I think it even replaces "Batman" as the best of the bunch at least in my book anyway.
So, I got to see a Sneak Preview last night courtsey of a local news paper. Also got to see The Tumbler/Batmobile up close and personal (had I known, I would've brought my camera). There were a few NASCAR vehicles there as well to help promote the Batman 400 race that's this Sunday at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Apparently, the Batmobile will kick off the race and be the pace car, but I'm not 100% sure about that.
Anyway . . . on to the movie.
They kind of shove the new DC Comics logo into your face before they take you into the film but what can you do? You can't copy Marvel's take on letting us know it's a Marvel movie so DC has kinda lost out on that.
We finally get to see the Wayne's before the fateful night in the alley and even though it's a relatively small glimpse it's quite the interesting one and packs a nice look into their lives.
Christian Bale was unbelieveable! I haven't seen any film with him before so maybe I'm a bit naïve when it comes to what he can do, but he sure as hell impressed me. The fear and the pain that he conveys comes across quite well and to see him done the cape and cowl is very impressive. He's a mix of Michael Keaton & Kevin Conroy's Bruce Wayne, and almost all of Kevin Conroy's Batman. Yes, I know Conroy is just the voice, but he's what made Batman, Batman and somehow, Bale manages to do just that when he's behind the mask and there are times where it's scary as hell.
Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes was "okay" but I definately wasn't impressed. Other than a few instances of "headlights" poking through the her shirts you're doing to be disappointed boys. Sorry.
I enjoyed Michael Cane as Alfred and he had a bit more of the B:TAS in him than the previous Alfred from the movies. It was quite nice to see Alfred chastise Bruce for his "fun" a few times.
Morgan Freeman as Fox was fantastic. I really, really, really enjoyed seeing him and look forward to seeing more of him in the coming films.
Ken Watanabe was wasted Ra's Al Ghul. His screen time was incredibly short and totally "fluff." It was very disappointing. Very.
Gary Oldman was Gordon was an interesting choice. He's a Sargent in this movie, and moves up to Lieutenant by the end of the movie. You get to see a very quick glimpse of his family life (wife and child) and how he's very slightly connected with Bruce via the death of the Wayne's.
Liam Neeson as Ducard was interesting. I'm no expert on Ducard from the comics but a friend gave me a quick low-down and sufice it to say, he doesn't seem to share much with that Ducard but he's still an interesting character . . . right up to the very end which is surprising as hell. And, it must be the SW fan in me, but seeing Ducard teach Bruce just made me think of Qui-Gon Jinn. All the things he says to Bruce during their training on the ice (before they begin to fight) just screams Qui-Gon! It was insane. But, towards the end of the movie, you'll see that his Ducard is no Jedi but more like a Sith bent on cleansing the Earth of all the foul things.
I didn't know who Cillian Murphy was but he was an okay Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane. There were a few times, via camera angles, that I thought he'd make a great Joker but then changed my mind as the movie progressed.
It was a surprise to see Rutger Hauer in the movie but he played his part well. He didn't get the memo at the end.
The visuals in the movie are fantastic, as are the themes that are carried throughout. There were quite a few times where I just kind of went, "Ohhh!" at how they handled the "Fear Toxin" as seen through the eyes of the vicitms and when Crane sees Batman through the Toxin it's quite gruesome (almost reminds me of the Uruk-hai from LOTR).
The 1st chase scene through Gotham was quite good and turned out better than I thought, if just a wee bit "over the top" with the number of vehicles that fliped over. But over all, it was pretty good.
The next to last scene, with Batman going after Ra's Al Ghul to stop his plan came out beautifully. It reminded me of the No Man's Land arc where they cut off the island from the rest of Gotham. All the inmates from Arkham have been set free and the Toxin is filling the air... The Police Chief says to Gordon, "The Riot Squad is there with you already, there's no one left to help you now," and then you see the Batmobile race across and jump the river and into the mess and end up just feet from Gordon. It was nicely done.
Overall, the film was great. I definately want to see it again and they very nicely set up the next movie with a new baddie who likes to leave his calling card at the scene.
