Loss of Mystic Disturbing

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2005)

The movie is very well done and well put together in terms of story telling and acting (for the most part). However, it loses almost all of the Comic Book feel that is essential to Batman. There is no more mystic about the Batsuit or the Batmobile.... simply technology. This is a downside. So while this is easily a better Batman that the previous two (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin), it does not carry the character or the "legend" as well as the original. The only other complaint that I can offer is the cinematography. The shots during almost every fight scene are muddled and it is almost impossible to tell who is who... even when one of the characters is wearing a costume like a bat! I'm sure that some of this is intentional, but the pervasiveness of the technique takes a lot of the action out of the fighting sequences. That aside, the cast is stellar and the tone of the movie is well done. I enjoyed the writing and storytelling very much, particularly the opening and closing of the film. I think a sequel may be difficult, given the amount of time given in this film to the origin of Batman... but maybe I will be surprised.