What Batman Was Supposed To Be!

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2006)

Quite possibly the movie of the year, but I have yet to see War of the Worlds. I went into this thinking, "They've DONE the whole Batman thing. Why put us through it AGAIN?! The first Burton/Keaton Batman was da bomb. "Returns" was decent, "Forever" was entertaining but sadly lacking. Seriously, with a cast like Drew Barrymore, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Nicole Kidman, Val Kilmer, and Kevin Grevioux (Raze of Underworld fame), how could Schumacher screw that up? Well, he found a way, and with the release of "Batman & Robin," it became painfully obvious that the end of Batman was more than just "in sight," it was here.
I grieved the death of what could have been a terrific franchise, and I moved on.
Then along comes Goyer. He wrote "Blade: Trinity," and while I am NO fan of that movie, we'll blame the studio's cut and Parker Posey's horrible acting...for now. I will give him the benefit of the doubt because he has also written some great screenplays and stories. Blade, Blade 2, and Dark City are all his, but his writing abilities seem to be more hit-and-miss than substantially consistent talent.
Christopher Nolan directs and kicks in his two cents' worth in the screenplay department... I'm not impressed with his body of work. I liked Insomnia, but let's face it: Nothing I'd seen so far said to me that Batman Begins would even be watchable, much less entertaining.
To be honest, I didn't even WANT to like this movie for several reasons...
* Michael Keaton did so well with Batman
* Schumacher was so total in his obliteration of the franchise, I could not see any reason to beat the dead horse
* A fan of the "Dark Knight" I was tired of being disappointed at the cinema by the direction in which the franchise had gone
I must say that I'm very glad I saw this in the theater (on the "big screen"). Just think; I almost missed witnessing a true rebirth of this franchise!
The casting was work of art in itself. Some unlikely choices really REALLY pay off. Two character actors were cast against type, but it seems to have been a brilliant choice! Also, Bale was excellent in his performance. His performance was so reminiscent of Michael Keaton's that you can not help but believe that his entire performance was an homage. It didn't come off leaving you feeling like he was attempting to "copy" his performance, but rather it further cements in your mind that Keaton IS Batman, and Bale knows it.
The effects were dynamic, and the sets and backgrounds were more than realistic. The stunts seemed to be more wire work than CGI (thankfully), lending a more believable and realistic feel to this endeavor. And gone (again, thankfully) are the hideous nipples from the Bat-Suit! (Curses Joel Schumacher for ever adding them in !!)
The thing which most impressed me about this film was the story. It was fantastic! I've read reviews by the "professional" reviewers, and one in particular claimed that the movie got lost in the beginning to find itself again only at the end. I'm learning NOT to listen to the "professional" reviewers and to judge for myself.
I have to say that by going through the changes in the beginning, you fully understand the motivations and abilities demonstrated by the Dark Knight. Because quite frankly, this isn't just Batman anymore. If the new franchise follows this first installment, it will literally BE the Dark Knight vein of the comic book series! THIS is the Batman I grew up with, not the campy, weak-@ss byotch who cracks off one-liners while feebly dealing justice to ineptly stupid criminal miscreants. Adam West was "A" Batman. Michael Keaton was "THE" Batman. Bale is the Dark Knight; it's a totally different animal.
The nemeses in this one are Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, with a promise of meeting the Dark Knight's "Joker" in the next installment!
This movie exhibits perfect direction from start to finish, never loses itself, never loses the audience, and with great relish fights its way through to a superb and satisfying ending.
I can't WAIT for the next one!
It gets an 8.7/10 and yes, that's a big leap from the rating I gave Burton's Batman cuz let's face it: Bale isn't a better Batman, but the movie itself is LIGHTYEARS better!... from ...
the Fiend :.