Batman Begins (2005) **1/2

Rating: 6/10 (23 June 2005)

A good deal of the raves for this film seem to come from the camp of Batmaniacs, and that's perfectly okay and understandable. I've always thought the character of The Batman was cool myself, and I enjoyed Tim Burton's 1989 take on the "Dark Knight". What a pity it is that in the aftermath of this new overrated Nolan film, it sure appears that Burton's movie is going to be put out to pasture. Never under-estimate the power of further remakes and re-imaginings to have a potential to dim the lights of an older favorite in the public's eyes. Thankfully, this is a rare occurrence but it seems to be happening here.
I'm just a casual fan on this subject so I'm afraid that all the praises of how "this is BATMAN done right!" fail to impress me. Oh, I certainly prefer a more dark tone to the character and I was grateful that Burton's version went back to that deeper angle, but I think BATMAN BEGINS goes too far with the bleak tone at the complete expense of any kind of camp or fantasy at all. Christian Bale comes across initially as a very good man for the job of portraying Bruce Wayne, but after a while his shtick as the costumed Batman becomes a little overdone; it's overly dramatic when he continually roars with authority, or utilizes that deep-throated and unnatural whisper of his. I have nothing against an angry Batman - in fact, that's one of the things I did like about this rehash - but must he always sound so "put on"? I love Michael Caine and thought he was a natural choice for the new Alfred, but he seemed to be under-used in this film.
The much-anticipated fight scenes were ruined. It was impossible to comprehend what was going on in any shot, and the result was like watching one huge, muddy blur. Likewise, the movie's too long (so what else is new?), and the over-abundance of a nonstop barrage of action later in the film is an assault on the senses and comes off as a bore rather than a thrill. When will Hollywood today learn that overdoing mind-numbing action sequences and effects actually have the opposite desired effect? I kind of objected to the horror movie approach to many moments, making me feel that I was watching a demonic possession flick like THE EXORCIST at certain points. Or maybe it's just me.
Now, I've come on pretty rough with this movie but it's not unwatchable by any means. I liked the way we get to see some of Wayne's training, which helps us better relate to how he's able to fight crime as strongly as he does. There was nice attention paid to the troubles of Bruce as a boy. Cillian Murphy was a properly despicable baddie. I just would have liked a little more of the tongue-in-cheek gadgetry and eccentric villainy to compliment the tragedy in Bruce Wayne's psyche. This was not the Bat Cave I would have preferred, and the tank in the film is just not the Batmobile for me. Hell, I even missed the bat poles or bat chute. Burton's films had some of this in their mix, while still concentrating on Batman as a complex, disturbed figure. I also much preferred Burton's vision of a Gothic Gotham City as opposed to this more sterile, high-tech approach. **1/2 out of ****