Slick and Stylish

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2006)

In general, I am not a huge fan of comic book characters made into movies. Spiderman I could take or leave, and Catwoman was dire. So it was a nice surprise to find "Batman Begins" a dark and exciting film that is truly gripping, and that also has an element of the unreal about it that I think sets it apart from other comic book films.
Christopher Nolan has created a wonderfully atmospheric Gotham City, that really captures the decay of a city in decline. Something he also manages is to handle well is bringing the plot along outside the action sequences. However, "Batman Begins" is possibly a bit top heavy on the fighting side, but then again I am of the female persuasion, and so am naturally adverse to large amounts of fighting.
One of the things I liked most about "Batman Begins" was the fact that it explored the background of Bruce Wayne, and what drove him to become Batman. Understanding his motivations gives us much more sympathy towards Wayne, and seeing him as a child growing up to an adult makes the viewer feel as if we know Wayne, having watched him grow.
Christian Bale does a great job as Bruce Wayne. He brings a strong presence to the character-(and I have never seen anyone do press ups with that much ease before!). I was a bit dubious when hearing that Batman was to be played by a Welshman, but Bale won me over. He gives Batman a very macho quality, and more that holds his own in the fight scenes. He also handles Wayne's issues with a sensitivity that means you cannot help but root for the character.
I had a bit of a question mark about Katie Holmes though-she didn't quite match up to Bale, and she looked just a bit out of place.
I thought that the villains of the film did a competent job, especially Cillian Murphy as Doctor Crane-that mask was scary!
The end of the film provided the set up of the next in the series, with the introduction of the joker. If this is anything to go by, then the second film should be an unmissable event.