Truly one of the greatest films to grace the screen.

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2006)

I love Tim Burton. He is a genius and his wacky films are a staple of originality in this world of cookie cutter films in the cinemas. Yet, of all his films the one I could never get into was his Batman. You can call it a B-movie, I call it the true meaning of the descriptive word "cheesy". So I was cautious of this film. Some fantastic filmmakers came together for what I had decided would have to be a VAST undertaking in order to make up for the lost series. Apparently, Christopher Nolan and Co. had exactly the same idea as myself. This under-taking was done with by the hand of master filmmakers, and the result is one of the most fulfilling pictures I have ever witness in my few short years as a being and born film lover.
Acting:10/10 Christian Bale is perfectly cast as the title role of Batman. I never would have thought of him as Batman, and to be honest it would take some guts to go to Warner Bros. suggesting the at the time 120 pound actor of The Machinist. Yet Nolan had the idea, and it ended up very rewarding. Tom Wilkinson (The Fully Monty) plays a great villain as Falcony, a crime boss who runs Gotham city with a steady and cocky hand. Michael Caine plays Alfred well, making his Alfred a fatherly character, instead of a pointless character as done in Batman 1,2,3,and 4. Liam Neeson plays a very good villain, shady yet you owe him respect as he is Bruce Wayne's mentor. It is a tough position for a character and he pulls it off with menace and focus. Gary Oldman again proves he can turn invisible, giving a perfect performance as Gordan. Another masterful actor giving yet another masterful performance. Cillian Murphy (a personal favorite actor of mine) gives an amazing, stunning, icy, and wholly entertaining performance as Jonathan Crane, the villain with brains. He is one of the most promising up and comers in the business. Many other side dish actors (such as Rutger Hauer) give supporting performances of fantastic quality. THE perfect cast.
Writing: 25/10 David Goyer and Nolan collaborate into one of the best scripts I have ever read. It is layered, humorous, moody, dark. Forever twisting and turning giving comics a new name. Unlike the insufficient Fantastic Four, the writers gave a script for people of an IQ bigger than their shoe size. Not that dumb flicks aren't entertaining, but us often film goers often want a little more, and by God Goyer and Co. give give us more than "a little more". I really cannot say enough for the script, and I must say, I am a man who likes to talk.
Directing: 15/10 Christopher Nolan, the man behind this origin story, gives it a power. There is not "cheese factor". It is realistic, and dark approach to an epic story. If only Tim Burton had decided that comic's were something that could be taken seriously, and not just entertainment for the kids. A fresh approach to an old classic makes a film that leaves the original in the dust, ashamed of itself for being so low. If only all remakes and sequels could be handled as such, then the film industry would be a bright and shining staple of our country. Though sadly most movies are not even half as impressive, and the film business is running out of juice because the men who own and run it have no idea how to do so. It hearts me, and there days I wish I could care less. But my heart is bought and paid for to the industry. I can only hope this films inspires others, and the others, inspire other others, until film is gleaming again. Fingers crossed,eh?
Special Effects: Truly stunning. Very few CGI shots are in the film. Most of the film is done practically, and it is like the film, a fresh and stunning twist to todays world. To have a man fly over the city with not a single computer generated image is an amazing feat.
Cinematograpgy: An Oscar nomination well earned, a win well deserved. The pain of doing things practically is camera trickery. And it's flawless. It is shot beautifully, not much more is able to be said.
In the end every time this I see this film I am paralyzed. It is too powerful, shaking you around and spitting you out like a roller coaster. One of the best/most memorable films I have and will ever see.
Final Grade: A+