Great Bat Film...No...THE DEFINITIVE Bat Film! :)

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2005)

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
POSSIBLE SPOILERS (though not really) ARE SPRINKLED throughout, although none are about the plot. :)
Unlike both of Schumacher's horrendous entries, we...Yep, Crap-maker. I'm pointing my steely Bat-gaze directly at you, you...(Readers & true fans: insert your own colorful, neon green, creative nicknames here, with my blessing!)
Erm...excuse me, I just needed to get that pile of mush off my thankfully non-nippled-Batsuited chest. :)
Well, anyway, unlike ALL those bat films that have gone on before it, we have a bona-fide winner: 'Begins' is COMPLETELY, HANDS DOWN superb! :)
When I first walked into the theater 2 days ago, i was apprehensive to say the least. Aside from Newsies & Empire of the Sun, I'd never really seen Christian Bale, the actor, before. (sad but true.) But, dude, he totally socks it to all the other bat-mans out there. he looks the part AND acts the part of BOTH his alter-egos like they're BOTH a second skin, like he REALLY is BOTH of them.
I emphasize BOTH b/c every bat-dude before has only got it, at most, half right. Keaton got bats right, kilmer got Wayne right (SORTA anyway), & clooney...got neither quite right, although he came a bit closer to a tabletop balance between the two sides of Bruce than either of his 2 predecessors.
But, Bale, Bale's something else entirely. and that's a good thing...a very very very good thing. :) he's what batman should have been back in '89: a fully functional, fully complex hero, with an actual direction, a guy with flaws, a guy with nuance. And WITHOUT that god-damned bat-nippled, nut sack/thong, anatomically correct Batsuit, thank you very much!!!
The supporting cast was superb. Perfect compliments to bale who add to the story rather than distract!!! (a folly the previous villains always seem to fall for time and again) This time though, not even THAT happens. Gary Oldman (better known to me as Sirius Black from Harry Potter 3 & the bad guy from the great "The 5th Element") was very cool & understated as Gordon, adding some actual weight & levity to his words rather than just adding it to his middle like pat hingle.
freeman, always a treat, was a nice addition & added some needed color (though not flamboyantly!Schumacher gay-neon) to the proceedings.
And Cillian Murphy & Liam Neeson are super in their parts too, esp. Cillian who is what a pretty-boy psycho should REALLY act/sound/talk/be like...not like the deplorable, witless Keanu performance from The Watcher. So, do NOT let the looks fool you. 'cuz he was MAJORLY creepy. :)
Last but not least, Michael Caine...three words. ALFRED HAS ARRIVED Finally, we have a 3-dimensional character, not just a droll, boring, old manservant who sews codpieces into batman/robin suits for a living.
(Yep, STILL looking' at you Schumacher. HIS Alfred to kilmer's Wayne: "I took the liberty, sir." The liberty of what? Sewing thongs & codpieces into your now supposedly anatomically correct masters's uniforms???) Oh well. THAT was the writer's fault, NOT Michael Gough's, who was pretty great for what he was given...
But Caine just adds and adds and adds to a great performance & the chemistry between he, bale, & freeman is felt & felt very well by this loyal Batfan! :) Nolan is BEYOND great as a director who has both style, grace, & story-telling know-how WITHOUT sacrificing any of the characters...no small feat to wink at.
CONGRATS TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, PLUS TO THE ONES I DIDN'T MENTION, FOR A JOB MOST MASTERFULLY WELL-DONE!!!! :)
Go see this NOW!!!
As Gordon says, "I gotta get me one of those!" & unlike robin or batman in the previous films, he actually, GENUINELY MEANS IT.
And so do I!
If you see nothing else this summer, see this!
you will be blown away!
here's to the 2 other films (& all the returning cast & crew) this one will hopefully be spawning within the next 4 or 5 years. :)
Welcome back, Batman!!!! We have missed you!!! :)

Sharma, a loyal viewer & reader of batman for nearly 21 years...