Batman Begins!
Oh my gosh! I just saw the new Batman movie and it was fabulous! Those fans who were worried that this movie would be a repeat of "Batman & Robin" need not fear. This prequel film was the edgiest, scariest, darkest film of the seven live-action films that have been made to date.
Director Christopher Nolan, whose previous films include "Insomnia" and "Memento," truly does an amazing job of matching the look of the movie to the feeling of the characters. Gotham City is less the gritty metropolis seen in the previous films; instead, a sleeker, harder town that still retains much of the granduer of gothic styled architecture is seen. Nolan uses his story-telling abilities to weave the back story of Bruce Wayne into the character's present day life. Discussion of fear is a major theme through this movie, and fear is what you'll feel when you watch this film (at least I was afraid through a lot of parts in the movie - it was scary!).
Getting in touch with the angrier aspects of the hero's psyche, Christian Bale portrays the ultimate Bruce Wayne, with his intriguing, dark, introspective look at the masked avenger. Not only did Bale act the part, he put on 60 pounds of muscle for this role, allowing him to really resemble a superhero capable of doing all the tricks he does. I thoroughly enjoyed learning that Batman was not always a fan of bats. This movie shows how the child Bruce Wayne is actually terrified of them, adding another level of complexity to the character. Bale's portrayal of the bitterness and regret that Wayne feels over the loss of his parents was moving, causing me to tear up within the first thirty minutes of the movie twice! Another entertaining aspect of the movie was watching Wayne make all of his neat tools that help him fly and other assorted tasks. However, as entertaining as all of the details of Bruce Wayne's backstory are, this movie would have been a flop had it not been for Bale's outstanding performance. Much like what I said about "Star Wars: Episode III," Hayden Christianson and Christian Bale carried the weight of their respective films with them. I say, job well done to both men.
As far as side characters go, this film has a wonderful supporting cast, ranging from experienced actors to newer fresh faces. Katie Holmes plays Rachel Dawes, the honest district attorney who constantly fights for true justice. With a sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching performance, Michael Caine plays Wayne's butler Albert. Liam Neeson also gives a memorable performance as Wayne's mentor, Ducard. Other cast members include Gary Oldman as Sgt. Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane, Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul, and Tom Wilkinson as gangster Carmine Falcone. This supporting cast adds much to the film, and without the talents of these actors, the film would have been less entrancing.
I would like to touch on the special effects in this movie. First of all, this movie has the best Batman car ever! This tank that still has the cool flame that pops out of the back of it (sorry I don't know the technical term for it) while being able to realistically crash through concrete blocks and run over police cars. As I sat next to my friend Jeremy through the movie, we both stared in awe at the car. It was awesome! Also the special effects that are used to simulate the effects of being drugged were amazing. I was truly terrified at the shots because they were so realistic, not too mention ultra trippy. My theory on special effects in movies now-a-days is that since the release of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, special effects have improved a great deal in the fact that they are actually realistic now. You can believe that Batman flies in this movie because it looks real. Overall, this movie had superb special effects, and made the movie way more enjoyable since you didn't get caught up in catching the special effects blunders.
Last, I want to recommend this movie to both Batman comic book fans and movie fans alike. This movie was a truly entertaining 2 and a half hours. The pace of the story moves quickly, and makes you feel as if you have only been sitting still in a dark theater for a brief period of time. I can hardly wait to go back and see this film again, so that I may catch more nuances that I missed the first time. And also because Christian Bale is such a hottie that I wouldn't mind staring at him again for 2 and a half hours (watch out Brad Pitt, I've found myself a new heartthrob!).
Director Christopher Nolan, whose previous films include "Insomnia" and "Memento," truly does an amazing job of matching the look of the movie to the feeling of the characters. Gotham City is less the gritty metropolis seen in the previous films; instead, a sleeker, harder town that still retains much of the granduer of gothic styled architecture is seen. Nolan uses his story-telling abilities to weave the back story of Bruce Wayne into the character's present day life. Discussion of fear is a major theme through this movie, and fear is what you'll feel when you watch this film (at least I was afraid through a lot of parts in the movie - it was scary!).
Getting in touch with the angrier aspects of the hero's psyche, Christian Bale portrays the ultimate Bruce Wayne, with his intriguing, dark, introspective look at the masked avenger. Not only did Bale act the part, he put on 60 pounds of muscle for this role, allowing him to really resemble a superhero capable of doing all the tricks he does. I thoroughly enjoyed learning that Batman was not always a fan of bats. This movie shows how the child Bruce Wayne is actually terrified of them, adding another level of complexity to the character. Bale's portrayal of the bitterness and regret that Wayne feels over the loss of his parents was moving, causing me to tear up within the first thirty minutes of the movie twice! Another entertaining aspect of the movie was watching Wayne make all of his neat tools that help him fly and other assorted tasks. However, as entertaining as all of the details of Bruce Wayne's backstory are, this movie would have been a flop had it not been for Bale's outstanding performance. Much like what I said about "Star Wars: Episode III," Hayden Christianson and Christian Bale carried the weight of their respective films with them. I say, job well done to both men.
As far as side characters go, this film has a wonderful supporting cast, ranging from experienced actors to newer fresh faces. Katie Holmes plays Rachel Dawes, the honest district attorney who constantly fights for true justice. With a sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching performance, Michael Caine plays Wayne's butler Albert. Liam Neeson also gives a memorable performance as Wayne's mentor, Ducard. Other cast members include Gary Oldman as Sgt. Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane, Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul, and Tom Wilkinson as gangster Carmine Falcone. This supporting cast adds much to the film, and without the talents of these actors, the film would have been less entrancing.
I would like to touch on the special effects in this movie. First of all, this movie has the best Batman car ever! This tank that still has the cool flame that pops out of the back of it (sorry I don't know the technical term for it) while being able to realistically crash through concrete blocks and run over police cars. As I sat next to my friend Jeremy through the movie, we both stared in awe at the car. It was awesome! Also the special effects that are used to simulate the effects of being drugged were amazing. I was truly terrified at the shots because they were so realistic, not too mention ultra trippy. My theory on special effects in movies now-a-days is that since the release of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, special effects have improved a great deal in the fact that they are actually realistic now. You can believe that Batman flies in this movie because it looks real. Overall, this movie had superb special effects, and made the movie way more enjoyable since you didn't get caught up in catching the special effects blunders.
Last, I want to recommend this movie to both Batman comic book fans and movie fans alike. This movie was a truly entertaining 2 and a half hours. The pace of the story moves quickly, and makes you feel as if you have only been sitting still in a dark theater for a brief period of time. I can hardly wait to go back and see this film again, so that I may catch more nuances that I missed the first time. And also because Christian Bale is such a hottie that I wouldn't mind staring at him again for 2 and a half hours (watch out Brad Pitt, I've found myself a new heartthrob!).
posted by Sarah Elizabeth @ 2:43 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home