Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 3.0
The Batman keeps returning
If the fight scenes were filmed, as said, from the victim's point of view, all I can say is the victim is the viewer. These are some of the most poorly edited and cramped fighting scenes I've ever seen in a major motion picture. What is going on in them is anyone's guess and there is certainly no thrill or excitement and anxiety built in any of them. Mostly, you, the victim/viewer, is trying to figure out what the hell is going on and who is beating up whom. But there are good things, to be sure, in this Batman, particularly Liam Neeson as Ducard, the mentor. Christian Bale has received major accolades for making Batman and Bruce three dimensional, but I was only partly behind his portrayal the entire way -- he certainly wasn't aided by some ridiculously stilted dialogue. In the modern series, this certainly is the most intellectually rich Batman, but the whole story of the Batman has been retold in variations and adventures for years and years, on and on. It has proven elastic, but I think the story is a phase fans relate to intensely, then either move on from, or forever wallow in its permutations. So, while the ardent point to this film and say, see, there is life left in the franchise! You could also say it's just been dressed up all over again. I did enjoy this film, but it's still hokey claptrap, and the fight scenes set it way back. I'm not walking away from Batman for good, yet, however. If they deliver more Cilian Murphy as Scarecrow, I just might find myself plunking down my money again.