Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 2.0
"Batman Begins"
The Dark Knight returns? Not like this. Christopher Nolan's grand idea of putting Batman in a realistic setting has done nothing but stamp out the magic we used to feel. Stripping a superhero and his world of their fantasy takes away something crucial: the film can't take us away with it. It can't capture our imaginations. Worse still, Nolan moves the film (and the editing) too quickly, and we can't absorb what we're seeing. "Batman Begins" is a clunky, impersonal movie, devoid of any real soul, and woefully short on imagination. Mostly to blame is Goyer's script, a collection of action movie cliches in the guise of a story. It's so by-the-numbers that Batman could be replaced by any action hero; he's unnessecary in his own movie. The same goes for the lead villain, Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson), who's stripped of everything that made his comic counterpart unique. He isn't immortal, there's no Lazurus Pit, not even Talia shows up. Goyer transforms him into just another stock villain, blowing his chance to bring a character on par with the Joker to the silver screen. The second villain, the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), seems to have ben added as an afterthought, but we need him. He picks up the slack. Murphy is the only one doing anything of distinction. He's genuinely creepy, and he fills the screen. He's enough for a whole movie, but he barely gets any screentime, and he has so little to do with the story that he doesn't need to be there at all. Most of the screen time is devoted to Christian Bale's Batman, but he's a complete blank (a faceless actor for a faceless character), and his Batman's been nuetered; the movie preaches like an evangelist to choose justice, not vengence. But Batman's a creature of vengence. And this movie's Batman works through his issues like a therapy patient, leaving him with no need for vigilance. This movie is less faithful to the comic than anything you've ever seen: this isn't Batman, just a stale Superman in black. The first two movies transcended the comic book genre. They had genuine artistry in them. This film is nothing than typical action fare with a coat of black gloss, burdened with a flaccid lead and bit parts for its best actors. This bat has no wings.