Did I see a different movie than everyone else?

Rating: 4/10 (29 July 2008)

What makes comic book movies so appealing was sorely lacking in this edition. It wasn't' so much the acting that disappointed, but the overall "feel" of the film. In "Batman Begins", Gotham City had a surreal, dark and mysterious quality that this film abandoned. In this segment, Gotham was portrayed as any ordinary big city (like Chicago, hint, hint). It's as if they wanted to "normalize" the story, and bring this other world into ours. I go to movies to escape, and go to a place for a few hours where these super heroes can exist. By taking away the dark element, it's just a guy running around town in a bat suit. Christian Bale, who is a good actor, was under utilized in this movie. The two characteristics of Batman that make him a super hero are his fighting ability, and the gadgets he uses. The fight scenes are sub par, and the gadgetry was all but non-existent. Heath Ledger's performance, though very well done, was wasted, and I blame this on the writing/directing. What makes villains appealing in this genre is that you usually have a point of reference to identify with. They were good people that are betrayed or exploited, for instance. So even though you dislike what they do as villains, you can kind of understand. I know they were going for a darker, more sinister Joker this time, but I think they missed the point. Maggie Gyllenhaal was completely miscast. She offered nothing by way of talent or glamour. Aaron Eckhart did a fine job, as did Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman. They should have been used more. All in all, this movie was a miss. There is no way that this is the best movie ever made, according to the IMDb ratings. It's not even worthy of the top 250.