Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 3.0
Better than some Batman Movies, but not as good as the hype
I just saw the movie again, and frankly, I was a little disappointed.If you're anything like me, the first time you see this movie, you'll come away thinking it's a definite improvement over some of the recent installments -- particularly the Scharzenegger/Uma Thurman dud. Christian Bale makes an excellent Batman, the back story about how he becomes Batman is plausible and well told, his relationships with Ducard (Liam Neeson), with Alfred (Michael Caine), and Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) are real, and his emotional torment convincingly conveyed. Some of the scenes are great -- particularly the exposition about how he becomes Batman -- the most lust you'll see in this movie is when he sees the future Batmobile for the first time, and you'll be right there with him. Also, the director gets the iconic Dark Knight look just right. When Rachel Dawes meets Batman for the first time, you'll know what I mean.So why doesn't the movie have staying power (ie -- why didn't it hold up so well after a second viewing?) There are several reasons. The dialogue is actually pretty didactic -- justice v. vengeance, face your fear, etc. etc. Second, there really is no drama -- you know what this story is going to be before you go into the movie theatre, you're going for the action, the scenery, and the details, so in a way, it's kind of boring. Third, it's emotionally pretty one-dimensional. This Batman is focused, and neither love, nor money, nor a good time, are going to get in his way.Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie, and I think it had better than average entertainment value, but like this DVD (which really has no special features), it's a limited pleasure.