Christopher Nolan’s hugely expensive, rather desperate attempt to restart the Batman series with added gravitas falls largely flat. Don’t let the fact that the story concerns a young man who dresses up in leather and kicks people for a living fool you- this is archetypal mythmaking, a confrontation of man’s deepest fears, an exploration of the meaning and relevance of vigilantism in modern society. Batman is a reflection of the darkness within us all. Fun is completely out of the question.
Batman Begins is one of the most po- faced blockbusters of recent years- despite the cars, the gadgets and some rather effective action sequences, the only people who seem to be enjoying themselves are the elder statesmen, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, getting all the best lines and what precious few laughs there are. Otherwise it’s one of the most appallingly cast movies in recent memory- Katie Holmes looks lost as a crusading lawyer, avuncular Englishman Tom Wilkinson struggles manfully as a devious gangland kingpin, and Liam Neeson frowns a lot as the kung- fu fighting guru villain, spouting Yoda-esque new- age clichés like Wes Studi’s Sphinx in Mystery Men: ‘if you do not control your fear, your fear will control you’. Christian Bale makes a solid Bruce Wayne, but a growling ‘70’s porn voice renders his Batman somewhat laughable. And any director who manages to waste Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman and Ken Watanabe in minor roles clearly has more money than sense.
by Tom Huddleston | Source: DVD
16 Feb 2006 8:28 AM | Comments (6)
I had pretty low expectations for this movie, so I was really impressed by the dark and almost realistic style of this one. The Batman movies have always disappointed me with the possible exception of the first one. This one is the first to almost escape the overall cartoony feel of the others. Christopher Nolan should be praised for doing that. I don’t know what you were expecting from a Batman movie, but it sounds like you were expecting a comedy. No wonder you were disappointed. You said “Fun is completely out of the question,” so what would have made the movie more fun? Maybe you would have liked the cornier Batman movies that preceeded this one.
No, I didn’t expect comedy, but I don’t go to see a Batman movie to understand the inner workings of a tortured soul (which, btw, this movie failed to illuminate anyway)- I go to be entertained, to see a good story well told. It’s about a guy dressing up as a bat to fight crime, for God’s sake. Hardly Hamlet. There seems to be a prevailing opinion around at the moment that somehow dark = good, that if a film depicts or confronts some societal evil, or investigates some twisted edge of the human psyche it’s automatically a more interesting story. In my opinion this is crap, frankly, and anyone who holds this opinion should be forced to watch Sullivan’s Travels, repeatedly, until their eyes melt.
“It’s about a guy dressing up as a bat to fight crime, for God’s sake. “
Well, you knew that going into it, didn’t you? That doesn’t mean it wasn’t “a good story well told.” If that is your analysis of the film, then you could have written your review without even watching the film. I think you watched this movie just to find reasons to hate it. If you don’t like Batman, that is perfectly fine, but if that is the case, just say, “I hate Batman,” and save us from a shallow review.
“… just say, ‘I hate Batman’”
For god’s sake, Tom, don’t do it! Fanboys will descend on this site like a plague of locusts!
I actually quite like Batman- Tim Burton’s movies, ‘The Dark Night Returns’ (which would still make a great film if Clint would ever agree to star in it), and I loved ‘Batman: Year One’, which this vaguely resembled. What I resent is people who take themselves too seriously, among whom i would have to count both Chris Nolan (case in point: Memento), Christian Bale and Liam Neeson, and quite possibly this Adrian character.
The point I’m trying to make is that the subtexts in a story of this nature- we all wear masks, vigilantism is dangerous, there are dark places in the human soul- are inherent in the material, we don’t need them shoved down our throats, it’s patronising and it distracts from the story. Batman is the kind of thing you should be able to experience on multiple levels- if you want the psychological subtext, dig for it. If you don’t, you should still be able to enjoy the movie on other merits- story, characters, entertainment value.
Tom, That is the best thing you have said so far, and not “shallow” at all. Do I take myself too seriously? Perhaps. I did like Memento, too. I will leave you alone now. Thanks for the discussion.
Adrian
17 February 2006
10:07 AM
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