Exhilarating (no spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2005)

As its name implies, this movie goes back to the beginning to tell how Bruce Wayne became Batman (and that's all I'll say about the plot). But this is no prequel to Tim Burton's 1989 movie with Michael Keaton. Christopher Nolan (director) and David Goyer (writer) have completely ignored the four Batman movies made in the late 80's and 90's and started fresh, and I, for one, am thrilled. While I liked Burton's two movies, they were really nothing more than an exercise in Gothic costume and set design. Don't get me wrong; I like that just fine. But while watching them, you never forgot you were watching a "comic book" movie. The final two movies, directed by Joel Schumacher, were just travesties, no matter how you slice it. He kept the Gothic look but channeled the campy 60's TV show for the action. Ugh. Batman Begins is firmly set in the "real world," even if Gotham does look like every Midwesterner's nightmare of what a Big City is like, and this adds a much-needed intangible that decreases the amount of disbelief that must be suspended.
I was pleasantly surprised by Christian Bale's performance. He will be inevitably compared to the three actors that portrayed the character in the 90's (Keaton, Kilmer, and Clooney). This movie should put any comparisons to rest. The closest comparison is Keaton, who was able to convey Batman's borderline psychosis. Unlike Keaton (and Kilmer and Clooney), however, Bale has the physicality to make you believe that when Batman kicks bad guy butt, he's really doing it. As Bruce Wayne, Bale is a much more believable playboy than any of the three previous actors.
Another nice surprise was Liam Neeson playing such a physical role, as Wayne's mentor in the martial arts. Neeson has the size to play intimidating characters, but this is the first time since Rob Roy that I've seen him look so, well, menacing.
My only "complaint" with Batman Begins is that it took two great character actors who are renowned for playing psychopaths, Gary Oldman and Rutger Hauer, and put them in very straight roles. Oldman plays James Gordon (pre-commissioner days) as the lone good cop. He plays it very well -- he is a great actor, after all -- but I kept expecting him to just go ballistic and start shooting. Alas, it was not to be. Nor was it fated for Hauer, who plays an ambitious CEO, to poke somebody's eyes out while saying, "I want more life." *sigh*
These minor glitches aside, BB was an excellent movie. The storytelling is crisp and clear, with enough "inside" stuff for comic geeks like me to enjoy and feel smug about but it didn't leave the casual movie goer out in the cold. I'm sure if I tried hard enough I could find snafus and inconsistencies, but I don't really want to be a nitpicker. While I was sitting in the theater, the movie totally absorbed me and I lost all track of time. The last movie to do that was Kill Bill Vol. 2. Highly recommended.
One quick comment on the rating: the movie is PG-13 for a good reason. It is very intense with a few scary scenes -- nothing gratuitous, but if you're easily disturbed by frightening images (or have children that are) please take this into consideration.