Holy inevitable "holy" joke, Batman!
Fanboys and girls of the world rejoice! Darker, grittier and funnier, Chris Nolan's "Batman Begins" reinvents and reinvigorates the mythos of the masked avenger. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am something of a soft-core comic book fan. I've read what my comic-fanatic friend Rishi has given me, and flipped through Frank Miller and Brian Bendis titles, but I am certainly not obsessed. No no, that's save
d for "The West Wing." Which I'll get to in another post. So let's bypass the talk about Adam West, which I have had to read in every other review, and move straight to the early 90s, where a man named Tim Burton ("Edward Scissorhands", "The Nightmare Before Christmas") directed "Batman" and "Batman Returns", casting Michael Keaton in the iconic cowl. Close, but no cigar. Then came "Batman Forever", which brought us Robin, as played by Chris O'Donnel. Ouch. And then... yes... Joel Schumacker's infamous "Batman & Robin"... featuring, among other things, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, George Clooney as Batman... and, wait for it... Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Campy. Unrealistic. Self-hating. Unmotivated. Even Clooney admits it. Almost a decade after that trainwreck, The Bat-Man is back. And for the first time... He's there. Chris Nolan's vision of gritty, violent, philosophical Gotham City brings "Batman Begins" to the forefront of current American cinema. Certainly, the self-depricating, funny, dark script gave "Batman Begins" it's best shot, but nobody can deny the power of the cast. Michael Caine as Alfred. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Liam Neeson as Bruce Wayne's shadowy mentor, Ra's Ah Ghoul. But giving the best performances are Gary Oldman (wonderfully) breathing life 
into the starchy role of good-cop-in-a-bad-town Police Lieutennant Gordon, and Christian Bale. Bale gives Bruce Wayne depth and a bizarre likeability I can't forsee anyone else bringing. Otherwise, the film gives a great time at the movies, throwing back to the days of the gangster movies, while blending with modern day film's penchant for grit. I suppose I can best sum up my review with a quote from the film:
Dr. Crane: He's here.
Henchman: Who?
Dr. Crane: [short pause] The Batman.
Well, it's about damn time. My grade: A.
d for "The West Wing." Which I'll get to in another post. So let's bypass the talk about Adam West, which I have had to read in every other review, and move straight to the early 90s, where a man named Tim Burton ("Edward Scissorhands", "The Nightmare Before Christmas") directed "Batman" and "Batman Returns", casting Michael Keaton in the iconic cowl. Close, but no cigar. Then came "Batman Forever", which brought us Robin, as played by Chris O'Donnel. Ouch. And then... yes... Joel Schumacker's infamous "Batman & Robin"... featuring, among other things, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, George Clooney as Batman... and, wait for it... Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Campy. Unrealistic. Self-hating. Unmotivated. Even Clooney admits it. Almost a decade after that trainwreck, The Bat-Man is back. And for the first time... He's there. Chris Nolan's vision of gritty, violent, philosophical Gotham City brings "Batman Begins" to the forefront of current American cinema. Certainly, the self-depricating, funny, dark script gave "Batman Begins" it's best shot, but nobody can deny the power of the cast. Michael Caine as Alfred. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Liam Neeson as Bruce Wayne's shadowy mentor, Ra's Ah Ghoul. But giving the best performances are Gary Oldman (wonderfully) breathing life 
into the starchy role of good-cop-in-a-bad-town Police Lieutennant Gordon, and Christian Bale. Bale gives Bruce Wayne depth and a bizarre likeability I can't forsee anyone else bringing. Otherwise, the film gives a great time at the movies, throwing back to the days of the gangster movies, while blending with modern day film's penchant for grit. I suppose I can best sum up my review with a quote from the film:Dr. Crane: He's here.
Henchman: Who?
Dr. Crane: [short pause] The Batman.
Well, it's about damn time. My grade: A.
posted by Frank at 2:20 PM
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