Batman Begins
Jun. 15th, 2005 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eee1313Just got back from a showing with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fava_bean, taraljc, and fishdoctorpost, as well as one of fava's coworkers and his friend. I have to say, this movie kicked ass. So, so much better than I expected. And I expected a lot, what with kingofalostart and queenofalostart talking it up, as well as my friend Kirsti. I was really impressed with this film. Very much worth every penny of your ticket price.
And now, for those who don't want any semblance of a spoiler, I'm putting this under a cut-tag. Here's the juicier stuff. First off, Christian Bale is exactly right for this role. Perfect as Bruce, perfect as Batman. I always thought he was a great actor, and that's what I like about him here -- he's really bringing acting chops to the roles, making Batman something more than a hero in a silly suit. He really sells Bruce's reasons for becoming something more. There's a scene when he's just shaking with anger, and damn if you can't just feel the rage coming off him in waves. I absolutely love him. Actually, all of the actors in this movie are great. For the first time in a decade, Gary Oldman reigns it in and gives a really subtle performance. Even Katie Holmes didn't bother me as much as I expected. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of hers. And she seems too young to be Bruce's contemporary, much less the Assistant DA. She's just too moon-faced. Still, she did a good job.
As for the characterization, it's all really good. We'll do the villains first. Again, no major spoilers. I've always liked Ra's Al Ghul, just because he's a) human, and b) much more hell-bent on mass destruction than anyone elseBatman ever had to face. Also, the Lazarus Pit arc in Batman: The Animated Series is one of my favorite bits ever on that show. Secondly, there's the Scarecrow, a villain I'm not all that familiar with, but I've never liked because he's freaky. And that's what makes him so great here -- freaky, but once again, a human villain. Having Batman begin by fighting two very human villains is a great way to start him out. He needs to get his feet wet, so to speak. Seeing as how this movie is equally a character study on Bruce Wayne as it is an action movie, not putting him up against a supervillain like the Joker was a smart move for this film. Oh, and the Scarecrow effects? FABULOUS. Seriously, so awesome.
The good guys are great. Already mentioned is Gary Oldman as a seriously understated and earnest Jim Gordon. (Yeah, and Katie Holmes is Rachel Dawes, blah blah, let's get back to the cooler people.) Michael Caine brings some real warmth and heart to Alfred, but my favorite has to be Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. LOVE HIM!!! Not only does he get all the good lines, he just kicks ass in this movie. And I don't think I can sing the praises of Christian Bale's Bruce/Batman enough. So great. Oh, and so is the kid who plays young Bruce. Not at all annoying like I expected him to be. So that's good.
And the action sequences? AMAZING. Some of the fight scenes are almost edited too quickly, so that sometimes it's hard to tell who's fighting who. But if anything, this makes the fight scenes seem less coreographed and more like a chaotic brawl, which is cool. The really, REALLY great part for me, though, was the Batmobile chase sequence about 3/4 of the way through the movie. Sure, the exterior Gotham shots were done here in Chicago, so I'm already biased. But really, this chase scene on Lower Wacker is just awesome. My mouth was honestly hanging open for half of it, just watching what would happen next. So cool! Oh, also, there's a good lot of swordfighting as well in the movie, so if that's your thing...
The plot holds up really well for the most part. Again, it's half character study, half action movie. The character study stuff is great, and the action-y part of the plot holds up well, too. In other Batman movies where they've just thrown random villains in and made them have to work together, which hasn't worked at all. I'll make an argument for Batman Returns, since Catwoman and the Penguin really weren't working together, they were just both working to kill Batman, and Selena really just wanted Max dead, anyway, and yes, I've seen it too many times, why do you ask? Batman Forever I can't even remember the reasons for the Riddler and Two-Face to join forces, and in Batman & Robin the whole Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze with a bit of Bain on the side was just a fucking mess. Seriously. But here, the flow from Ra's Al Ghul to the Scarecrow with some Falcone and a hint of Joe Chill is pretty damn seamless. I'm impressed.
On a completely shallow note, go see this movie for the eye candy. Christian Bale is just amazing looking, as always. (Honestly, most of the time I wasn't even all "guh" about him because I was so wrapped up in the movie.) There's a theory here (scroll down to the second half) that Christian Bale was made to play Batman, if only because it shows off his mouth. Hee! Cillian Murphy is very pretty as well, but only as long as the glasses stay on. Without them, I haven't decided yet. [ETA: after seeing queen's latest post, I have decided. Though I like him with glasses more.] And if you're into Liam Neeson at all, you might be pleased. He has some goofy facial hair, but he doesn't look quite as pinhead-y as he has been lately. Oh, and if you're into Gary Oldman, he has a big bushy mustache. Maybe that's your thing, I don't know about you Gary-Oldman-lusting-after types. Oh, and for you guys, yes, Katie Holmes makes it quite apparant that things are a tit bit nipply over at the Wayne Manor.
Seriously, it's an impressive movie. I really, really liked it and think I might go see it again. Plus, they showed the Serenity trailer beforehand. Way to get the word out, tacking the trailer onto (hopefully) the biggest movie of the summer. Batman Begins certainly deserves to be the biggest movie of the summer. Good story, good acting, good effects. Let's see George Lucas get all three of those things in one movie. Oh, am I bitter? Yes. But seriously, I hope this movie brings about a whole new Batman craze, like the first movie did back in '89. This movie is certainly a hell of a lot better than that one, and I'm a fan of that movie. Really, go see this. I promise you'll enjoy it.
fava_bean, taraljc, and fishdoctorpost, as well as one of fava's coworkers and his friend. I have to say, this movie kicked ass. So, so much better than I expected. And I expected a lot, what with kingofalostart and queenofalostart talking it up, as well as my friend Kirsti. I was really impressed with this film. Very much worth every penny of your ticket price.And now, for those who don't want any semblance of a spoiler, I'm putting this under a cut-tag. Here's the juicier stuff. First off, Christian Bale is exactly right for this role. Perfect as Bruce, perfect as Batman. I always thought he was a great actor, and that's what I like about him here -- he's really bringing acting chops to the roles, making Batman something more than a hero in a silly suit. He really sells Bruce's reasons for becoming something more. There's a scene when he's just shaking with anger, and damn if you can't just feel the rage coming off him in waves. I absolutely love him. Actually, all of the actors in this movie are great. For the first time in a decade, Gary Oldman reigns it in and gives a really subtle performance. Even Katie Holmes didn't bother me as much as I expected. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of hers. And she seems too young to be Bruce's contemporary, much less the Assistant DA. She's just too moon-faced. Still, she did a good job.
As for the characterization, it's all really good. We'll do the villains first. Again, no major spoilers. I've always liked Ra's Al Ghul, just because he's a) human, and b) much more hell-bent on mass destruction than anyone elseBatman ever had to face. Also, the Lazarus Pit arc in Batman: The Animated Series is one of my favorite bits ever on that show. Secondly, there's the Scarecrow, a villain I'm not all that familiar with, but I've never liked because he's freaky. And that's what makes him so great here -- freaky, but once again, a human villain. Having Batman begin by fighting two very human villains is a great way to start him out. He needs to get his feet wet, so to speak. Seeing as how this movie is equally a character study on Bruce Wayne as it is an action movie, not putting him up against a supervillain like the Joker was a smart move for this film. Oh, and the Scarecrow effects? FABULOUS. Seriously, so awesome.
The good guys are great. Already mentioned is Gary Oldman as a seriously understated and earnest Jim Gordon. (Yeah, and Katie Holmes is Rachel Dawes, blah blah, let's get back to the cooler people.) Michael Caine brings some real warmth and heart to Alfred, but my favorite has to be Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. LOVE HIM!!! Not only does he get all the good lines, he just kicks ass in this movie. And I don't think I can sing the praises of Christian Bale's Bruce/Batman enough. So great. Oh, and so is the kid who plays young Bruce. Not at all annoying like I expected him to be. So that's good.
And the action sequences? AMAZING. Some of the fight scenes are almost edited too quickly, so that sometimes it's hard to tell who's fighting who. But if anything, this makes the fight scenes seem less coreographed and more like a chaotic brawl, which is cool. The really, REALLY great part for me, though, was the Batmobile chase sequence about 3/4 of the way through the movie. Sure, the exterior Gotham shots were done here in Chicago, so I'm already biased. But really, this chase scene on Lower Wacker is just awesome. My mouth was honestly hanging open for half of it, just watching what would happen next. So cool! Oh, also, there's a good lot of swordfighting as well in the movie, so if that's your thing...
The plot holds up really well for the most part. Again, it's half character study, half action movie. The character study stuff is great, and the action-y part of the plot holds up well, too. In other Batman movies where they've just thrown random villains in and made them have to work together, which hasn't worked at all. I'll make an argument for Batman Returns, since Catwoman and the Penguin really weren't working together, they were just both working to kill Batman, and Selena really just wanted Max dead, anyway, and yes, I've seen it too many times, why do you ask? Batman Forever I can't even remember the reasons for the Riddler and Two-Face to join forces, and in Batman & Robin the whole Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze with a bit of Bain on the side was just a fucking mess. Seriously. But here, the flow from Ra's Al Ghul to the Scarecrow with some Falcone and a hint of Joe Chill is pretty damn seamless. I'm impressed.
On a completely shallow note, go see this movie for the eye candy. Christian Bale is just amazing looking, as always. (Honestly, most of the time I wasn't even all "guh" about him because I was so wrapped up in the movie.) There's a theory here (scroll down to the second half) that Christian Bale was made to play Batman, if only because it shows off his mouth. Hee! Cillian Murphy is very pretty as well, but only as long as the glasses stay on. Without them, I haven't decided yet. [ETA: after seeing queen's latest post, I have decided. Though I like him with glasses more.] And if you're into Liam Neeson at all, you might be pleased. He has some goofy facial hair, but he doesn't look quite as pinhead-y as he has been lately. Oh, and if you're into Gary Oldman, he has a big bushy mustache. Maybe that's your thing, I don't know about you Gary-Oldman-lusting-after types. Oh, and for you guys, yes, Katie Holmes makes it quite apparant that things are a tit bit nipply over at the Wayne Manor.
Seriously, it's an impressive movie. I really, really liked it and think I might go see it again. Plus, they showed the Serenity trailer beforehand. Way to get the word out, tacking the trailer onto (hopefully) the biggest movie of the summer. Batman Begins certainly deserves to be the biggest movie of the summer. Good story, good acting, good effects. Let's see George Lucas get all three of those things in one movie. Oh, am I bitter? Yes. But seriously, I hope this movie brings about a whole new Batman craze, like the first movie did back in '89. This movie is certainly a hell of a lot better than that one, and I'm a fan of that movie. Really, go see this. I promise you'll enjoy it.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 04:56 am (UTC)I'm in total agreement with everything you said. Everytime I heard her trying to put on her "big girl" voice I waited for Dawson to show up and trade some witty pop culture references. She wasn't altogether perfect for the role, but she wasn't bad. I just wanted someone with a little more moxie I guess.
And LORD Christian Bale's mouth! He was totally made to wear that mask! And the scene when he hops out of bed and right to the floor to do those push-ups! Masses of inapporpriate noises coming from yours truly.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 05:09 am (UTC)HAAHAAHAAA!
no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-28 10:03 pm (UTC)And guh. Nice icon. :)