a Knight worth remembering

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2006)

Finally. FINALLY!!!! I love the Batman cartoons; Justice League, and even Batman Beyond. But I tire of cartoons, and they lack visual impact. I didn't like any of Burton's versions. I never bought Keaton as the dashing billionaire playboy smart enough to pull off a double-life. I liked Val Kilmer, but thought the vehicle itself wasn't good; too campy, too over the top. But this... it simply doesn't get better. Great storyline that defines not only the character of Batman, but also of Alfred (who supports and assists Bruce in these somewhat unusual endeavors), Gordon, Lucius Fox and even the city itself and the Batcave. The history created in this story, and the characters that populate it are 100% credible. It was so real; so believable. Christian Bales was perfect as Bruce Wayne and Batman - not necessarily the most dashing of playboys, but obviously even that played into the aspect of Bruce Wayne trying to define himself and this life. Bruce Wayne was smart -really smart - and thoughtfully developed so that the audience could understand the method behind Batman's madness. Finally, The Dark Knight wasn't just a man with a grudge - or a man on a mission. He was a man with a vision who wanted to not only wanted to avenge his parents, but wanted to make criminals afraid of being criminals. And through it all, his own code defines his actions, and determines which boundaries he will and will not cross.
The cast was brilliant. Top notch, in every way. I was even pleasantly surprised by Katie Holmes; she easily could have been totally overwhelmed by the quality and intensity of the performances of the other actors, but she held her own. It was distracting at times that she did look all of 18 - and it wouldn't have been difficult to mature her look, but her performance was quite credible. The gadgets - way, way cool. Way cool - totally explainable, totally believable. The cape was brilliantly defined and actualized. I've read complaints about the Batmobile not being cool enough - but I thought it was slick and MEAN. It inspired terror and intimidation - not envy or sexiness.
The thing that really captured me about this movie was the reality of it; the release of all of the prisoners in Arkham - some of whom have been experimented upon by the Scarecrow and have had brain damage as a result of his toxins - are released into the general population and not recovered, which explains even that aspect of the city's character -why it seemed to attract every loon for 1000 miles!!
This storyline was incredible and was very well-acted and brought to the screen with an eye for realism that places this Batman vehicle on its own well-deserved pedestal. Only one down thing: fight scenes. Too choppy, too dark. the visual of arms and legs randomly slashing across the screen was disorienting. I love a good fight scene, and this had some great -really great- moves, but it was all too fast to really appreciate. One other comment that earns an extra "++++" the visual violence where someone got hurt was not overdone or bloody; often it was off screen completely, and there were a whopping 3 swear words, and no sexual overtones. I didn't worry about my kids seeing this film, and finally there is a Batman movie we can all enjoy together! THIS Batman is THE Batman - an Everyman superhero for every generation.