*** OFFICIAL BATMAN BEGINS THREAD ***

[jjzelinski]

I've read alot of criticism about how the fight scenes were filmed but I absoltuely loved it; he's a f*cking brawler and it just furthers the gritty realism that's been introduced this go around. I can't begin to describe how glad I am that Nolan didn't borrow sh1t from the Woschowsky(sp, whatever) bros. since Bruce would be less humanized as a result of it. Sure he's highly trained but he's nt a damn shoalin monk, he's a bad ass with unbelievable fury and and a great deal of situational awareness; meaning, Nolan obviously recognized the need for Batman to exploit the inherent confusion and brutality of fight.

Even for the fights with Ducard and the little ninja guys, this movie was not meant to be a martial arts expo; they're not flamboyantly telegraphing their moves a mile away for the pleasure of the viewing audience, they're literally fighting for the lives. All in all, I say Nolan and Bale did an awsome job with combat.

 

[loup garou]

GF and I saw it last night. She thought it was good, but not great. I thought it was freaking awesome. I was really, really impressed. As mentioned, the fight scenes were tightly shot, but I think we've just become accustomed to the Matrix style fights where it's a wide angle of the hero fighting dozens of enemies. The tight shots in BB gives a grittier, more realistic feel. It took a couple scenes to get used to though. Oldman was absolutely perfect as Gordon. Perfect. Bale did a great job, but his Batman voice was a little over the top gravelly. Morgan Freeman was great and Michael Caine was perfect as Alfred with his dry wit. Absolutely the best comic book movie I've ever seen and one of my favorite movies ever. I will definitely see it again in the theater -- something I haven't done since Jurassic Park.

 

[loup garou]

Oh yeah, one other thing. Did anyone else think it was funny that Wayne wouldn't execute the murderer, but had no problem blowing up the whole building full of Ras Al Ghul's henchmen?

 

[JoeKing]

Just got back from seeing it. Almost as good as Spiderman 2. I loved the "scary" effect they gave after ppl were exposed. The car was awesome! The only thing that they could have done to make it better was... show katie holmes boobies





at least it was cold in that last scene right guys?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: JoeKing
Just got back from seeing it. Almost as good as Spiderman 2. I loved the "scary" effect they gave after ppl were exposed. The car was awesome! The only thing that they could have done to make it better was... show katie holmes boobies





at least it was cold in that last scene right guys?

Yeah, I was about to make a comment about the nips in the theater...but then I realized that I was sitting beside my dad and not my GF

 

[jjzelinski]

If I said that to my dad he'd probably laugh.

 

[Storm]

They have to bring back Ra Al Ghul... and throw his daughter in the next film.

 

[Plasdom]

for those complaining about Bale's batman voice, think of it as him still trying to fit into the batman role. Just like how the cave and everything is still a work in progress

 

[Svnla]

I saw the movie early today and like it. Not perfect but very darn good.

I think the theme is very good, especially at the end when the credits roll. I saw a poster said Winamp has the soundtrack but I don't see see it.

 

[Kenazo]

Just got back from seeing it. The only thing that bugged me was how chubby Christian Bale looks when you squeeze his face into that mask. Otherwise that was one damn good movie!

 

[dfi]

Originally posted by: werk
Oh yeah, one other thing. Did anyone else think it was funny that Wayne wouldn't execute the murderer, but had no problem blowing up the whole building full of Ras Al Ghul's henchmen?

Or endangering the lives of many cops during the car chase.

 

[Fritzo]

Just saw it again last night. I sat next to an older couple, and this is just a warning to not trust some people's taste in movies:

During the previews, the trailer for The Dukes of Hazzard came on, after which they both exclaimed "Boy! That really looks good!" "Yeah! That's be a great movie!"

The movie then started and they left halfway though saying something about "I thought this was going to be funny..."

I had a Spock "Illogical" eyebrow stuck up for the rest of the movie after that.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Just saw it again last night. I sat next to an older couple, and this is just a warning to not trust some people's taste in movies:

During the previews, the trailer for The Dukes of Hazzard came on, after which they both exclaimed "Boy! That really looks good!" "Yeah! That's be a great movie!"

The movie then started and they left halfway though saying something about "I thought this was going to be funny..."

]b\I had a Spock "Illogical" eyebrow stuck up for the rest of the movie after that. [/b]

LMAO

 

[TheAdvocate]

Best comic book based movie that I've ever seen. Bale IS Batman. The other actors are imposters by comparison.

The only things I could nitpick:

1) Katie Holmes love interest scenes were forced, she's girl next door cute, not glamorous sex kitten, so please dont portray as otherwise, despite what she's trying to do in her personal life

2) I like the Ras Al Gul story line, but this movie did lack a villian as charismatic as Nicholson's Joker. Here's hoping that they find someone suitable for the role in the next movie.

Wife and I went in expecting a good movie, and left happy and surprised that instead, we had seen a very, very good movie.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

The most well-balanced and the best of all the Batman flicks so far. Gripes: metro wacko Scarecrow and Liam Neeson's Qui-Gonn redux. 7/10.

 

[43st]

We saw it on an IMAX screen yesterday and it was quite impressive. It had some departures from the Dark Knight graphic novels but was convincing anyway. Best Batman movie so far, or at least most true to the roots Batman yet.

 

[Plasdom]

Originally posted by: dfi

Originally posted by: werk
Oh yeah, one other thing. Did anyone else think it was funny that Wayne wouldn't execute the murderer, but had no problem blowing up the whole building full of Ras Al Ghul's henchmen?

Or endangering the lives of many cops during the car chase.

they did not have to chase him

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: BespinReactorShaft
The most well-balanced and the best of all the Batman flicks so far. Gripes: metro wacko Scarecrow and Liam Neeson's Qui-Gonn redux. 7/10.

Metro Wacko. That's a great way of putting it

 

[CtK]

It was a good movie
I just didnt really like Bale as Batman he looked funny with the mask on and his expression or delivery was wierd

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: VIAN

Obviously, Batman is in the infancy of his career. Both the Batmobile and the Batcave will evolve as he grows. Having a ready-made Batmobile with Bat-wing fins a la Tim Burton would have been too unrealistic. I think the "Tumbler" was perfect.

The beautiful thing about the Tim Burton movie and what I don't like about this one, is that batman retains his mysteriousness, unlike Begins. There is no mystery now. And it was great how in the movies, it focused more on the criminals, because you knew there were only gonna be shown one movie, so more of the story focused on them so that you could learn more about them. But every new Batman after that did reveal more bits and pieces of the story which was pretty interesting. You got an idea of his past, but not the whole which made him mysterious. But, I was always curious how how he got the batmobile built without people knowning about it. I just figured he had his ways.

The only gripe I have is that there wasn't a better musical score. I realize that the music can become a character in the film (like Elfman's '89 score) and the filmmakers probably wanted to avoid the epic, but a decent theme would have been nice.

I agree with you there. It was missing the Batman theme which would've helped. A music score or soundtrack can add so much to a movie.

I'm gonna say you're nuts. What mystery was there in the previous films? Particularly in the later Joel Schumacher debacles where batman and his rubber-nipple suits pose for pictures in vanity fvcking fair or whatever it was and show up for fund raisers and cocktails.

Batman Begins retained MUCH more mystery while simultaneously exploring the psychology of the character and the *development* of all the major characters involved. All in all, this was THE Batman movie.

Now, as for people at the theatre, I went to a 10PM IMAX showing on Friday and had to wait in a line with about 500 other people.

Jason

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: KingNothing
You know, I'm starting to wonder if this new close-up, jiggly fight-scene filming style is just a way to be lazy with the choreography and not actually have to put together a quality fight scene. Kind of a pity...

Absolute nonsense. The fight scenes in this movie were *perfect*. The Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher method where Batman walks down the street punching bad guys as they approach is the LAZY, incompetent method. They barely bothered with Choreography at all.

That said, Batman's a story about a shadowy, ninja-like character who strikes quickly from the darkness and then fades away quickly, leaving his enemies confused and *afraid*. NONE of the previous movies captured that. This one did it to *perfection*.

Tim Burton's been pwned, guys

Jason

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: VIAN

What mysteriousness did Batman have in the previous films? You mean as to his past? I guess if you never read any of the comics nor watched the cartoons, that might be true. Or did you mean his tendency to keep in the shadows, as opposed to an insane million-dollars-in-damage caught on TV car chase?

His past. Don't forget that in Batman, Batman also ran through the streets in gotham, just didn't destroy things. He also did it in Batman Returns. I just so happens that I've never read the comics. Keaton always had this look of ponder on his face, where he dwelled on the past. It gave you reaons why is the way he is. And even after all this time, he is still troubled by them.

Bale's Batman went much further than that. He's not *bothered* by his past, he's *haunted* by it, *obsessed* with it. Batman's a character who's not *entirely* there, after all. He's just a *little bit( insane, and Bale captured that to a T.

Jason

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Just got back from seeing it with my dad.

**Note, Batman (1989) is my favorite movie of all time...PERIOD. End of discussion**

That being said, I thought this movie was decent but left me wanting mostly. It just didn't "click" with me the way the original did when I saw it at age 9. This one seemed sorta meh and the fast cutting fight scenes were enough to drive my batty. Bale had the whole cocky, I'm mad at the world attitude going on, but he just can't top Keaton.

And the baddies in this movie? Puhlease. They can't even come close to touching Jack in the original.

But by far, the WORST offense in the whole movie was when he first said "I'm Batman!" It was so horrible I wanted to puke my brains out.

That being said, I still like Batman and Batman Returns way better than this new flick

I hate to say it, but you're reeling from NOSTALGIA, not from critical observation. The 1989 Batman was good, and Nicholson was VERY good as the Joker. The story was mediocre though, and the movie as a whole failed entirely to capture the mystique and terror that the Batman image is supposed to convey. Keaton was good, I agree, but he was not as good as Bale. Bale didn't have the "mad at the world" attitude, he had the "enraged by injustice" attitude, and the obsessive/compulsive attitude. He showed Bruce Wayne/Batman for what he is: A little bit INSANE.

ALL the movies subsequent to the 1989 Batman, excepting Begins, had sh1t for villains. The penguin was retarded and hammy. In fact, the *entirety* of Batman Returns was hammy. It was a VERY poor movie from start to finish (including the rubber-mask tearoff at the end) and a COMPLETE abuse of the Batman character. I don't think I even need to mention the two subsequent movies, which should be ranked in the minds of everyone as somewhere BENEATH horse manure.

In every sense I can think of, possibly excepting the lack of a "theme" (the in-movie music, though, was WAY better than all that Prince CRAP from the 1989 movie), Batman Begins is VASTLY superior to 1989's Batman.

Jason

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: VIAN

Wasn't there a scene in Batman Returns with a lot of cop cars getting destroyed as they tried to chase down the Batmobile?

Yes there was, but that wasn't batman's fault. Batman didn't physically do that, he was just trying to escape and the cops' clumsiness led to much destruction.

You know, I'm wandering what the new joker is gonna be like. Thinner, taller, crazier. Batman Begins has sort of a comic book look to it, so I'm thinking the sequel will do the same.

You suck.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I concur. Anyone who prefers another Batman movie to Batman Begins must be a Batman movies fan, not a true Batman fan.

Neither followed through with the comic, so Batman is better. Keaton says "I'm Batman" better. Because he was cooler. His symbol was even cooler. I wonder why Tim changed it.

***SPOILER***




One thing I don't understand is..

When all those people in Gotham were exposed to the scarecrow's concoction, how did they get cured? That little vial of vaccine that Morgan Freeman gave to Batman couldn't have been enough for the ENTIRE city.

***SPOILER CONTINUED***


I think they totally missed that part. It went from defeating the badguys to the prequel to the sequel. Probably cut out a lot of the movie, but yeah there are some things that are just left hanging.


PS: Trust!

It wasn't just left hanging. The only part of the city that got "infected" was that little island area. Near the end, just before Gordon tells Bats about the Joker, he says that that part of the city (I forget the name of it) "is lost. And Dr. Crane escaped". It was covered, guys, weren't you paying attention?

I, for one, am GLAD they didn't take the route of the previous series and KILL all the bad guys at the end. The only one who died was Ras Al Ghul, and if you've ever read the comics you'll remember the Lazarus Pit. Ras will be back, no doubt about it.

Jason

 

[Stinkfinger]

Originally posted by: CtK
It was a good movie
I just didnt really like Bale as Batman he looked funny with the mask on and his expression or delivery was wierd

Agreed, Bale is too chicken-lipped to play The Dark Knight. Great actor, just not for this part. Go watch The Machinist, now that's a Christian Bale role.