Expected More (with spoilers)

Rating: 5/10 (15 June 2005)

Christian Bale certainly embodies his character, both as Batman and Bruce Wayne. I was a little disappointed at his voice inflection of Bale when he was in the Batman suit, I believe Keaton said it was nearly impossible to hear once in costume, it seemed like he was always yelling. Still, he has the edgy, raspy tone expected when he speaks at a normal volume. Seeing his character background was amusing, but eventually became tedious and the movie lost momentum by not moving along faster in the first act even though it seemed like Nolan was trying to zip through it as fast as possible.
Seeing a sprawling Gotham City was impressive. They spent a lot of time designing the layout and there are fantastic citywide shots as the Wayne's travel on a train. Musically, the soundtrack was amazing and effective. I recall one or two scenes were there was just constant drum like effects during Batman's training sequences which climaxed appropriately. Acting wise, Oldman was vastly underutilized; anyone could have played the role of Gordon. The same could be said for Michael Cane's portrayal of Alfred, and new characters like those of Katie Holmes and Morgan Freeman did nothing that added to the film. In fact, the movie would have been better off without them.
In addition, Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow character was not fleshed out enough. Of Batman's villains, aside from Mr. Freeze and the Joker, the Scarecrow is one of the more complex rogues. Aided by the fact that he has no super natural powers, using mind altering fear inducing drugs and chemical warfare, the Scarecrow is a dangerous adversary and this films motive of tapping the water supply was crafted superbly in a previous Batman the Animated Series episode.
Overall, I felt the movie was flawed not by the acting, but more the editing and directing. Sure, this movie was darker and edgier, but I was disappointed in the hand-to-hand combat sequences. They were all filmed too close to the principals and quick cuts were the editing choice to hide real fighting deficiencies of the actors. Also, an unnecessarily long Batmobile chase sequence detracted from the film. Still, this was a noble effort to restore the franchise to its rightful place among superhero dramas and while it is mildly enjoyable, it is hardly worth a second viewing.