Batman Begins

[Kal]

they re-started the whole deal... Batman 1... then we have Batman 2... its clear enough already

Christian Bale is a cool Batman... I hope he stays for the next one

[B.C. Long]

but who the hell can they get to play the Joker who will make the part just as iconic and more his own than the Jack?

Crispin Glover. Johnny Depp should be saved for Two-Face.

[w/o horse]

General:  The fuck is with people calling this the most realistic Batman movie ever like that makes it the best Batman movie ever?  Don't get me wrong, it was good and healthy and even exciting to see it handled that way, but that should have nothing at all to do with which Batman movie is better.  Maybe if the movie topic was abortion or the war in Iraq, but it's a guy, a billionare even, in a fucking batsuit fighting crime.  Realistic does not mean better.

I had a hell of a time with Batman Begins, every time I see a commericial for the movie I want to see it again, but Batman left an indelible impression on me and I honestly believe that out of the Batman movies which have been made it is the likeliest to be remembered most fondly.

[Brazoliange]

Hopefully they won't go any further with the Batman series. This prequel leads right into the first Batman movie (Tim Burton's version) and the joker even hints at that. The studio might get persuaded to do another one since it'll make a lot of money, but this series and Star Wars they should seriously leave alone.

hahaha

reasons it can't lead into Burton's:
-different killer of his parents
-much OLDER Bruce Wayne
-rebuilt mansion like WAHT?
-different batmobile
-wtf happened to Holmes's character?


I don't think Depp can do it (oh god I hope not) judging simply by the Willy Wonka trailer... but I have seen that like 10 times in the last 4 days, so..

[Myxo]

Spoilers..

Saw this tonight. Overall it is one hell of an uppercut.

Bale has all of the rage and darkness required for this role. (He is the Dark Knight)

The scene with Scarecrow getting a "taste of his own medicine" was quite possibly the coolest scene of any Batman movie, period. Same goes for the red eyed demonic Batman toward the end.

Disappointing:

There is an element of Batman that I missed in this film which Burton got right. Keaton had a way of staring off into the distance, totally unaware of the people who loved him. I missed a particular brand of anguish and the consuming looks that Keaton was so good at.

The not so great:

Katie Holmes was her usual robotic self, going through the motions of a forgettable character. I'm not sure she needed to be anything other than one dimensional, but might have been cast better.

Anyone else here notice how confusing the action was? I realize Nolan didn't make a martial arts film, but could we at least get some choreography please? Whenever Batman was kicking some ass I felt like I was watching the opening battle scene in Gladiator.

Overall:

It's a great film which doesn't quite top Burton's first chapter but destroys the other three.

(The ending was a little awkward and our introduction to the Joker is totally different in Burton's film. I don't see Nolan's vision as a bridge, as much as I see him being able to re-make the piece of shit movies that Joel Schumacher came up with. He'll have to be careful with the Joker story though. To me, Nicholson's work is some sacred stuff and a pretty hard act to follow.)

[Kal]

It's a great film which doesn't quite top Burton's first chapter but destroys the other three.

that pretty much says it all

[cowboykurtis]

It's a great film which doesn't quite top Burton's first chapter but destroys the other three.

that pretty much says it all

id say a "well made" film that doesn't hold a candle to either of Burton's films.

went into this wanting to love it and was let down - expected more from nolan.

[Gamblour.]

Am I the only person who's gone tabula rasa and doesn't really care if the next Joker isn't as good as Nicholson?

And cowboy, I think you're still harboring pain from this.

[Ultrahip]

could someone explain the high pedestal burton's batman films are being put on here? in my opinion, jack nicholson is grand fun and michael keaton has a very soothing voice, but everything else more or less sucks...the action is appalingly staged (i know it's 89 but still, it's hardly better than the adam west stuff) kim basinger and the other newsdude are from another, even worse 80s movie. the last scene in the bell tower is excruciatingly long and bland, so totally devoid of anyting remotely near supsense or excitement or climax.

batman begins has a constant pulse, and it has cillian murphy, who as someone else said in another thread, is a fucking gem.

[Myxo]

could someone explain the high pedestal burton's batman films are being put on here?

His films were highly stylized, supported by a wonderful cast. How do you explain what makes them good? It's not really one thing or another but the overall atmosphere that Burton created.

As far as the action goes, I'd love to hear how it is appallingly staged. The fight scenes are well choreographed. Better yet, you can actually see what the hell is going on as opposed to half second jerky camera movements in Batman Begins. Great examples..

..the alley fight scene with Keaton and the two thieves..
..the fight scenes on the bell tower..

How about Gotham City in this film, compared to Burton's? I think Burton's is far more comic book esque and unreal. It's not a bad thing that Nolan created something visceral, but Burton was in touch with Batman, his villains and Gotham being bizarre and eccentric. I loved the brilliant use of colors with the Joker and how Prince's music drives the insanity. I'm not much of a fan when it comes to Batman 2 but the first chapter is, I believe, still the greatest superhero movie ever made.

[Ultrahip]

by appalingly staged i mean that in no way is it threatening or exhilerating, rather, it looks like a cheap circus production. however, i think if burton were handed a batman film today with a 150 mil budget, that might not be the case.

[Ghostboy]

I watched Burton's two films the other week, and it's true that the first doesn't quite hold up as well as it does in memory. It was Burton's first big budget film, and it shows. It's still a good Batman movie, but its actually sort of underwhelming by today's standards.

The second one, however, was and remains a masterpiece - but it's a Burton film, in the purest sense, and not a Batman film.

[cowboykurtis]

the action is appalingly staged

i personally thought the action was pretty poorly done in B Begins. Every single action scene was shot by shaking a long lens cutting every .05 seconds - you couldn't see anything happening.

I think my biggest problem was in the tone. Burton had fun with it. Nolan took it a little too serious. It's Batman for god sake. The darkness and rage people keep mentioning, seemed laughable to me. The overwrought character development of the first act just didn't resonate. I'm too familiar with this story to feel emotionally engaged. It's Batman - let's not pretend this is a brilliant character study.

Also the stylizaton (or lack of). I thought Gotham was pretty bland.

The climax was stale. Just another derrivitive CGI train crash. The potential it had with the city going crazy and the inmates being let out was quickly diffused. We never really saw any terror occur. There was never any ounce of threat that Batman had his hands full.

Also I think another strength in Burton's that was lackig here was the Bruce Wayne persona. Even down to the dynamic between the love interest. Keaton/Bassinger were much more palpable. Holmes was flat.

I was just wasn't engaged at any point. The slick production took away any character for me.

I still feel Burton's Batman and Dick Tracy are the only two comic films to get it right.

[cowboykurtis]

i forgot the score as well - weak

[ProgWRX]

personally i LIKED the fact that the fights/action sequences werent as choreographed...it went well with the tone of the movie. i dont think i wouldve enjoyed seeing them go into choreographed martial arts moves with wide shots so you could notice every one of their "cool" moves, which wouldve made it like any other action film since the matrix (or maybe even before that but im not that much into the genre to know). the action felt gritty and brutal and IMO worked well with the fact that this is a guy that is STARTING to do this kind of thing...