Is it just me?

Rating: 6/10 (17 June 2005)

Is it just me, or was the movie okay? Everyone is talking about how great it was, but it's like they weren't REALLY watching the movie, they were just wanting to be entertained.
First off, Batman Year One, is the darkest Batman comic, and this movie is based on that comic right? Well it wasn't that dark. I mean it did have moments, don't get me wrong, but from all the things I read about this movie before and while it was being made, it was supposed to resemble a Blade Runner type look, and follow the Year One series closely. I don't think it did that. They modernized Gotham way too much. And Batman didn't have that intensity he should have when he is Batman. He is a character where you don't know what he is...he's a good guy who's extremely conflicted and somewhat twisted. He is tormented by bats, and by the murdering of his family. He is in true essence a vigilante superhero, but they glorified it to the point where he was just a superhero.
Don't get me wrong, it destroyed Joel Schumacher's versions. BUT Tim Burton had a darker feel to it. The look of the film, the coloring, the way Batman acted and spoke. Very short, very brief and very mysterious. I didn't think he was like that in this movie. Also a lot less modern, which gives it that darker feel. ( I mean it was always raining in the movie if it wasn't night time)
Another problem I had was the actors. Morgan Freeman is an awesome actor and his character was one that could have been played by an unknown....it wouldn't have mattered. Same with Gary Oldman. I mean there isn't much you could have done with Gordon, but you didn't need an actor of that caliber to play that role.
Having Liam Neeson as the villain wasn't convincing enough. He's better as a good guy. He's a great actor, don't get me wrong, but I don't think he's made to play a villain. And then there's Katie Holmes. Well her acting wasn't that great, and she looked to young to be with Bale. Just didn't fit.
All in all, they could have done a better job with it, if they made it darker, and used more unknowns as opposed to getting big named actors to play these small roles. If they did it more in the vein of "The Crow", that would have been a movie to watch. You may alienate some of the audience, but the true fans would have appreciated it more.
Also, if Darren Arronofsky would have directed it like he was supposed to, I think the movie would have been more to what I expected it to be. Like I said, maybe it's just me, but I think people nowadays don't seem to care anymore. Star Wars Episode 3 sucked.........bad acting (except Ewan McGregor)...terrible dialogue......too colorful and not dark enough looking.....a lot of bad scenes....but still people liked it. Were they more nostalgic to see Star Wars again on the screen, and not care about all the holes and such? As opposed to being able to criticize it? I felt somewhat the same with this movie. Oh well...maybe the next one will be what I wanted.