Really...??? ...... REALLY..???

Rating: 4/10 (21 July 2008)

I would like to start this out by stating that I LIKED Batman Begins. I felt that the whole entrance to attempt to make things "logical" and "realistic" (as far as comic book movies go) was refreshing and adult. Its difficult as an adult to easily suspend disbelief or compensate loopholes with imagination where there exist such obvious loopholes sometimes. Sometimes you need more "detail" in the story to make it better in some places... I felt like this was one of those movies: Convoluted, ill-paced, and at times, ridiculous. Even for a comic book movie.
What was good enough about this movie that I rated it a 4? It was "cool". I enjoyed the effects and at minimum was entertained (started shifting in my chair 3/4 through though, after beginning to notice how long I have actually been sitting there...not a good feeling for watching an "epic movie"). Loved the bike, loved the car, LOVED Heath Ledger. He was brilliant....I WILL defend his "smacking lips" that some are actually filtering into the "bad" aspects of this. Here's a hint: IT IS SUPPOSED TO ANNOY YOU! He's a madman with ticks, quirks, and no doubt the smacking was created (and obviously deliberately emphasized) as something that was created from the cuts on the character's lips. I forgot he was Heath Ledger only minutes into the film...incredible, incredible performance, he deserves all the praise he is currently getting.
The bad: The story. I get it, sometimes being a hero is not about being glorified, but taking the fall. That IS a superhero in a nutshell....and the development of that idea was good....but....it seemed like there was way too much work throughout the movie to arrive at something so.......... simple. I was awaiting a profound catharsis to make me think "WOW" and not a 'well, this is it after all of that'. Maggie Gyllenhaal was decent, though I have no idea what they were thinking in casting her. She did pull off the "strong" part of the character well, because she isn't attractive enough to be assumed as an airhead (sorry). It isn't just about that though... I found her dull, and almost apathetic. Maybe that was the point? Im not sure.
Bale as batman is OK....I'll take it.... the over-the-top voice became ridiculous, and actually unintentionally comical though. I felt like I was listening to "Brock from a 1-900 line" at times.
They went through SO much effort to explain the physics of the Batman costume, vehicles, details of how Sonar would work, that I started to become excited and interested...until the creation of two-face. I had a very difficult time accepting a man with such exposed burned/raw skin would be able to snarl and strut around without being.....well, the slightest bothered to the HUGE chance of infection/irritation. It was so ridiculous that I actually started to ponder details.... How is the exposed eyeball looking completely healthy when he has NO eyelid to moisten? How is he able to perfectly pronounce speech when he is missing half of his mouth/lips?? Go ahead...try to partially speak through only your teeth and see if it works that well. It was ridiculous. His transformation and "meeting" with the joker was disappointingly quick. The joker gives him a 4 minute pep talk and it was kind of "well, that was easy". There was little to no internal conflict, self-reasoning....he literally went from someone who SHOULD NOT be unable to function with muscle, bone, jaw, eyeball exposed to.... a child murdering thug? Huh? Then, after ALL the ups and downs in the film...batman rides off because he has to take the fall because "sometimes heroes do that". That was the conclusion? OK, that was ALSO easy....so.....is that it?? Really? REALLY?