Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
The Real Batman
This movie is not the batman seen on the old TV series. I think the old movies attempted to darken that old theme and came up with something in between. I did enjoy the old movies with that quasi-dark drama/action and plenty of tounge-in-cheek moments. Well, the first couple anyway. The new movie though just fits the character so much better. We knew his motivations for being Batman, but now finally Bruce Wayne acts like the product of his childhood.Without discussing plot, this movie is superior to all other Batman films. Those who say it is slow maybe just want to watch 90 minutes of explosions and car chases. I think this movie has the right amount of action mixed in with pretty deep character development. It isn't just Bruce Wayne, all the characters are important. That is a rarity for movies now. I was reading an interview by the director about shooting of the sequel and he talked about not using a second team for "unimportant shots". He replied that if a shot/scene is truly unimportant, than it should not be in the movie. He's right, watching the movie again just recently, there wasn't a single time where I tuned out due to a scene I didn't like.The acting was top notch across the board. The script was good as well. The League of Shadows was a bit over the top and cliche at times, but it needs to stay true to Batman now.Blu-ray looks great. I did not notice any grainy shots. It isn't the bright vivid HD experience you may see in other movies, but pausing the disk as looking at the detail on the bricks in the background or the swirling smoke really gives you a sense of the picture. When I first put 300 into my HD-DVD player I was dissapointed that they kept it so blurry for the HD transfer. In this film they were able to give detail and sharp edges without loosing that dark feeling. Very good video transfer.The sound is good. I've heard better sound effects in action movies, but I didn't end the film thinking that the sound was lacking here either. The explosions were not overpowering and it was mixed well so you weren't struggling to hear the quiet dialog one scene then trying to keep your glass from shaking off of the table the next. Too often in action movies today the explosions are too loud for those quiet scenes and you have to artificially crank that center channel to make it watchable in a home environment. The music was well done and added to the movie without it taking center stage.Overall, this is a movie where you can watch it realize that it is complete. No "director's cut" is needed. There are no extra shots. Everything just fits well together. From a movie lover's standpoint, this movie should be appreciated for that even if you don't like the plot or premise.