Not like the others

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2005)

This Batman movie was definitely not like the others. a) because it had none of the cast from the others and b) because it was filmed in a different style and of course c) it was darker.
But that doesn't mean it was bad. I thought it was great.
It goes into a lot of detail on how Bruce Wayne became Batman. And not just a wee intro thing, it was a large part of the movie.
At the beginning it cuts back and forth between present and past, which may make you confused ( I understood it all, but I was with friends who weren't following it) but it stays in present for the rest.
I thought the story was very smart. It had Batman villains (with funny beards!) that we don't normally hear about which was interesting.
The comic relief was good. Some laugh out loud moments and some things you'll probably find funny that aren't meant to be.
There are some really good action scenes. Very exciting and original.
Acting was good. Christian Bale did a good Batman. I think he was trying to sound like the Batman on the animated TV series, it sounded good. You grow to hate Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson, who play the two main villains in the film, which is good because they must be acting well. Everyone else was good as well.
Now the thing everyone has been saying is that it's darker than the others. I think it comes across darker because the last two weren't that dark. There are some scary and sometimes disturbing moments but it's not darker than Batman Returns (the one with The Penguin in it).
Overall I thought it was an entertaining and exciting movie which you will probably enjoy. A good new addition to the Batman series.