High expectations, disastrous results...

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2005)

Whenever I see a film, I almost always walk into the cinemas with hopes that the movie is going to be good so I don't feel that I wasted money on it. I go to see almost every movie that is based on a comic book, because I happen to be a big fan of comic books. It's very rare that I am deeply disappointed after walking out of a movie, but this is an unfortunate exception.
To begin with, this movie is not called Bruce Wayne Begins. The focus on Batman is too low, as you hardly ever see Wayne in his costume. It isn't even until more than halfway through the movie that you first see him as Batman. I understand that this movie is supposed to inform you of Bruce Wayne's background, which is something that the other four movies failed to do, but the focus on him is just ridiculous. I was very bored throughout much of the movie, because of how slow-paced and centralized on Wayne it is.
The only performance that I was vehemently impressed with was Cillain Murphy's part as The Scarecrow. For the first time in a Batman movie, the villain actually is frightening. However, he had no reasonable motive for his actions, and neither did Bruce Wayne's teacher.
For all of you that are expecting to see this movie and walk out of it with a feeling of positive astonishment and satisfaction, don't waste your money or time on it, unless you're a Batman fan. Big fans of the Dark Knight may find this movie enjoyable, as you finally get to discover Batman's origin and Bruce Wayne's motivation. However, I am not a major fan of Batman, and I feel that this movie is too deeply involved with Bruce Wayne and not involved enough with Batman.
5/10