Good film, but not great.

Rating: 6/10 (27 June 2005)

After seeing his parents gunned down as a child, the billionaire Bruce Wanye (Christian Bale) becomes obsessed with vengeance and so he leaves Gotham City begins a journey to truly understand criminals' minds and from that he becomes a lost soul in a Bhutan jail. Then he encounters Ducard (Liam Neeson) who offers him a chance to join The League of the Shadows who vanquish evil. This is where Wayne learns mental and physical methods of training and to conquer his own fear and to use it to help him over throw evil. He returns to Gotham City to see it filled with corruption led by crime kingpin Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), the family company is interested in profit rather than people and his childhood sweetheart (Katie Holmes) is a spirited assistant attorney of a corrupt justice system. This is when Wayne decides to make a symbol and with the fear of bats that haunted him (childhood accident), he directs this fear into the ultimate creation Batman. He then recruits the help of weapon designer (Morgan Freeman) who works at his company to design gadgets for him and that of an honest cop (Gary Oldman).
Did I go in with high expectations for the film after reading and hearing mostly good things about it? Yes, I've only read and heard one ordinary review, so come on! After reading nothing but good things you would think this must be brilliant. So, was the hype justified? Hmm well, I wasn't that hugely impressed with what I saw and I usually enjoy seriously dark and bleak films. It was a fine film I would say, but not great. Was it blown out of proportions? Maybe not? To me it's far from ordinary, but it just didn't blow me away like for others. I guess I'm part of a small minority.
What I did like was the art direction, which was outstanding in capturing such a seedy and murky atmosphere of corruption and menace that is Gotham City. The towering Gotham City suited that of the creature of the night with its dimly lit streets and throbbing shadows creating such uneasy intensity. The production valves were simply opulent and glossy in quality. The dark knight's suit keeps clear of over-the-top suits of "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin" (which overshadowed that film) and in doing so it captures a figure of dread that causes sheer terror and irresistibly subtle in appearance. Which it surely deserves, than that of some fashion statement. On show is a supreme cast. The performances were riveting and that especially goes for the charismatic Michael Caine as Alfred and Cillian Murphy as the sly Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. They were the standout performances in my honest opinion. Katie Holmes definitely felt miscast, but her performance wasn't bad. Christian Bale was perfect and suited the presence of the smooth Bruce Wayne and silent and imposing figure of Batman. The likes of Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman made the most of their support roles. Tom Wilkinson and Liam Neeson were so-so in their roles. The script stood out with its intensely sharp and edgy dialogue and dry humour that suited the film.
Though saying that, I didn't find it particularly enjoyable entertainment. Interesting setup yeah, but the film and story just didn't surprise me (the twist involving Liam Neeson's character) or make me think it was anything too special. One thing that got on my nerves was how choppy the action scenes felt and how they really zoomed into those scenes without any clarity or flair. The film felt like it was lacking a strong villain in my eyes, as there was too many that came and went. The Scarecrow was engrossing and rather creepy, but we didn't get much depth out of him nor screen time liked I wished. Carmine Falcone was that of a standard villain and Ducard lacked bite well, for me he did. The harrowing story lacked real substance and at times it felt kind of flat. It just came across as trying to fit too much into the story, especially towards the end when the quality and originality started to decline in the final 30-minutes, with schematic action sequences, plot details and finale. Though, the plots psychological drama that fills the first half of the film was gripping.
I actually left the cinema feeling rather blank and nor do I care if I don't see it again. Even though this is more faithful and superior to that of the other Batman films, I'll stick with Burton's hammy/cartoonish versions. His Batman films aren't flawless, but I got more out of them.
To sum it up it's not that bad because of smart casting, solid script and a backdrop that looked extraordinary, but overall it just didn't pull me in like I hoped. Though, I give credit to the crew for trying a new ambitious take that goes for a more serious, darker and detail evolution of the Batman legend and thank goodness they steered clear of the abomination they call "Batman & Robin".