Batman Begins (USA) (Warner Bros) (2005) ****Year: 2005iMDB
Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman
It is refreshing to see more and more serious directors approaching the comic book/superhero movies, realizing the potential that is hidden behind the apparently simplistic stories. After Brian Singer paved the way with X-Men moving on towards Superman and Robert Rodriguez surprised everyone with Sin City, it is Christopher Nolan's turn (Memento) to bring to screen a new type of comic book adaptation.
I am always biased towards good, well paced "beginning of" stories and as far as these go, Batman Begins hits the spot. We see the struggle and transformation of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) from a child who witnesses his parents' death, to a youngster that cannot find his place in a city of crime and corruption and cannot stop his feelings of guilt and inadequacy, to the enforcer of justice and punisher of criminals that Batman became to be. The only mishap of the slow descriptive story is that it ends up being rushed towards the end, where the special effects and big comic-type battles take over in a less polished and believable way.
It is rare that we can talk about good acting in a movie that may be labeled as a summer blockbuster but, with a stellar cast including Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, Gary Oldman the movie remains serious and tells a story which could have been the premise for a modern day drama, or a wild west tale, but it just happens to take place in the grotesque Gotham City.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on August 1, 2005 08:14 AM | TrackBack