The legendary superhero movie trilogy begins...

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2012)

I watched "Batman: The Animated Series" during my childhood. And that was the closest thing to a legit Batman at that time besides the comic books. Didn't like Tim Burton's version of Batman all that much, maybe adults at that time enjoyed it more than kids. I thought "Batman Forever" was a cool movie when it first came out in theaters but watching it now, the movie is crap. And I don't even want to get started on "Batman and Robin". What this is, is a fresh reboot to the Batman franchise and is the first live action movie that shows the roots to how Bruce Wayne became Batman. At least of what I know of. When I first saw the trailer I had high expectations for it, and Christopher Nolan really delivered. This movie met my expectations and was very entertaining to watch how the road of the Dark Knight or the world's greatest detective. There isn't much detective aspect to this one, but it shows how batman utilizes stealth like a modern day ninja. Christian Bale is so far the best Bruce Wayne so far although Michael Keaton can arguably be the best Batman. Anyways Bale was perfect for a role of a tortured soul fighting for justice. Bale is a serious actor and Bruce Wayne/Batman is a very serious and dark character for the most part. I also like how Bruce acts like a billionaire playboy, well he is a billionaire but act like something he is not. In order to throw off suspicion that he is Batman. Unlike in "TAS" where Bruce was also a boyscout outside of the the batsuit. Liam Neeson plays the mentor or master character really well, not only he plays badass character but he brings a sense of charisma. You can't help but buy into his character in a lot of his movie and this applies here. Although he is the one that trained Bruce Wayne they have different views on justice and justice does collide. Cillian Murphy gives wits to his character in this as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow and give off this sense of ambition and maliciousness. Also a bit of creepiness to go with it. Even though he is just a side villain in this he does make his character at least memorable. Carmine Falcone is a despicable mob boss that basically owns Gotham and is played by Tom Wilkinson. The dialogue and the presence that is given by Tom Wilinson makes it not so far-fetched why Carmine Falcone owns Gotham. The guys has some street smarts at least when it comes to running the underworld. Katie Holmes was just okay, anyone could have played her role and she doesn't really stand out. Even though her character plays a prominent role in this and the sequel. It would have been cool if the lawyer she becomes friends with in this turns out to be Harvey Dent so it can be more coherent with the sequel. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox brings intelligence but also seems like a character you can trust, which is a very important element despite Freeman also having one of the best movie voices. Lastly Commissioner Gordon and Gary Oldman is perfect for this role. While the past Batman movies this character was just wasted but he at least has a role in this. And it feels like the beginning of a friendship between two men fighting crime. Same with the bond between Bruce Wayne and Alfred in this, Alfred actually has some good lines this time around. Christopher Nolan decided to go in a realistic superhero direction and it really works in this. It looks like with the right training and billions of dollars you can be Batman. This movie does a excellent job of using flashbacks, even though it's used a lot in this. It just isn't distracting, props to the editing department. Although it can take up to 50 min to find out exactly what scene happened when and where in the story. The build up is so very intriguing and entertaining. The story blends right into a Batman origin story and the action although there may seem to have a bit too much cuts and out of focus sometimes and not sure of what is exactly going on. The utilizing of stealth from Batman makes it cool. But still if it was less choppy it would have been better, this ain't a comic book strip. However this movie shows that Nolan really did his research or a fan of Batman. It's awesome when a director knows what to do with a superhero based on comic books. If you like superhero movies or action movies with a great build up this one is definitely worth seeing. This is Bruce Wayne's journey of building up his symbol at it's finest.
8.5/10