Off to a great start

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2009)

At a time when it was thought that this movie franchise was beyond any possible rescue, this was put together. What I got when I sat down in the theater, over three years ago, and the lights were turned off was a very pleasant, and rather welcome surprise. First off, let me make it clear that Nolan takes appropriate time introducing and building up before the superhero aspect turns up at all. A lot of this is spent on back-story, Bruce's as well as that of other important characters. With that said, my hat's off to Christopher... I'm not sure any other director has the same understanding of what makes Bruce Wayne and his alter ego tick. The motivation, the determination, terrifying his enemies... perfect. The way bats(the animal) are used in this is magnificent. Whenever Batman attacks henchmen, we see it from their angle... not his. This is fantastic, and works really well. The other action scenes, however, the fighting and such, at their worst, do arguably reveal that the director is not used to this kind of film; most of the shots are at medium range, and about half of them are dark. To put it bluntly: There are points where you can't see a thing. Another thing that bothered me was that this seems too eager regarding some of the surprises. At least once or twice, I sat waiting for something I knew would come, to happen. Apart from those somewhat minor complaints, this feature is excellent. The plot is well thought-out and it pays off. The dialog is brilliant. The humor is good, almost every single line that tries to be clever succeeds. The performances are top-notch, all-round. Neeson is marvelous, as are Bale, Caine and Oldman. Holmes is above average. The direction is very stylish, and this bears resemblance to a psychological thriller. It would have been nice, though, if they went for more complexity than "fear" seeming to be the one thing they focus on. The attempt to make the story and villains seem more realistic and believable went well. I wasn't a huge fan of the new Batmobile when I first saw it in previews, but... just wait until you see it. In fact, there's a car-chase involving it that almost alone is worth watching this for. The equipment and weapons are easier to look at when it's explained as something that very well could exist in the real world. I especially liked the idea behind Scarecrow. I won't reveal it here. Also, I would like to give Mr. N two thumbs up on his decision to use primarily practical effects, with little to no CGI. It looks better and is enormously credible. The atmosphere is expertly achieved. As the very last thing: This really isn't a superhero flick. It's a moral tale of a man and his fight for either vengeance or justice. He wears the suit for a reason. There is a little moderately strong language, no sexuality and material dealing with drugs. I recommend this to any fan of the comics, any of the actors and/or any of the genres. Do be sure to know what to expect from it. This is not colorful, and definitely not campy. It's dark, brooding and bleak. Fits like a glove. 8/10