Remarkable!

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2005)

This is my first ever review but I think it's the right time and topic to give my thoughts. I've been a Batman fan since the cradle, like many of you, first exposed to the character either through the Superfriends or the 60's Batman TV show, then through collecting "Detective Comics" and "Batman" comic titles through the the Neal Adams/Denny O'Neil to Alan Grant/Norm Brefogle runs. Tim Burton's "Batman" thrilled me back in 1989 but the film's now dated and doesn't hold up over time. "Batman Returns" and the last two sequels made by that other director (sorry, I can't remember his name due to the JLA "mind-wipe" I received from Zantana. Too bad Zee wasn't able to erase the nonsense that was the "Bat-Credit Card", "Chicks dig the car!", and "Hi, Freeze! I'm Batman!") left me cold and firmly believing that "Batman: The Animated Series" would be the best adaption of Batman we'd ever see.
Until now.
I've only seen "Batman Begins" once but I definitely have to see it again just to make sure that I really do love this film as much as I think I do! I know it sounds like I'm not sure of my opinion but, after sitting in that theater and watching the end credits roll, I had a feeling like I didn't believe what I just saw. Did I really see a true, honest, and believable portrayal of Batman? Did Warner Bros, makers of award-winning superhero cinema as "Batman Forever", "Steel", "Batman & Robin", and "Catwoman" actually do right by the fans? To say I was more in stunned disbelief than coming out of that theater entertained would be more accurate! I've seen many of the professional reviews and I agree with them saying, essentially, this is not only a great superhero movie but a great movie. Any negative review has been that it's not "fun" or that the "villians are only on-screen for a short time", and that it needs a "Jack Nicholson or Jim Carey" to lighten things up. For these reviewers, I can only say, if you're looking for a "light" and "fun" Batman film, go down to the local video store, put your money down on the counter, and go contribute to Val Kilmer and George Clooney's retirement fund! I know fans have complained about some of the action scenes and the uber-cutie yet gossip monger Katie Holmes' whole reason for being in a Batman film but don't let it take away from what makes this movie great - the main characters! Simply, Christain Bale was born to play Batman. His portrayal is the most realistic, the most faithful version of the Dark Knight (I dare any Batman fan to say otherwise after the "interrogation in the rain" scene!). This film looks to be the first of what could turn out to be one of the great trilogies ever put on screen.
Despite some shortcomings, this film reinvents the Batman mythos and revived a "dead" film franchise. Regardless of your opinion after seeing "Batman Begins", this is a new beginning of a legend...bat-nipples and bat-shark repellent not included!