CRS
Chandler, Arizona, United States

There's an old saying. If you don't want someone to join a crowd, you ask them, "If everyone were jumping off of a cliff, would you?" Well, I have. So my answer would be "Yes". True story.
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Review of Batman Begins

Friday, August 26, 2005

this entry brought to you by tool, "lateralus"




I couldn't think of a way to write a full, non-Polarity review for Batman Begins without repeatedly using the term "fucking awesome". So, with my self-made deadline looming, I instead wrote an imaginary AIM conversation with Bruce Wayne about the movie.

CRS: Okay. So. Let's get the complaints out of the way first. What do you think?
BTWayne: I didn't go for the Bat-suit. I mean, it was great, don't get me wrong. But there were little things wrong with it here and there that I just didn't get over throughout the whole movie.
CRS: Well, right, I figured you would say that. You've always actually preferred wearing the grey-on-black Batsuit.
BTWayne: I have no idea what you're talking about.
CRS: Anyway, I've always preferred him totally in black, like the movies have, for the most part, portrayed him. But I really need that yellow around the insignia. I do. Because for one, it has practical purposes. It brings the eyes to the chest, so you're more inclined to shoot him there, where it won't hurt him. Also, it's iconic. In the fighting scenes you couldn't see the bat symbol, and that's part of the purpose of Batman, being this icon of justice.
BTWayne: Right. And you know what else? I just felt like the suit didn't fit him perfectly. The cowl, I don't know. It didn't quite look right.
CRS: Yeah, like there was too much of the lower face showing? I got that feeling too.
BTWayne: I also didn't quite like his Bat voice, you know? It felt too much like "tough guy" voice, which is a little different than Batman, who has a darker, man-of-few-words voice. I feel really bad for saying this, because I totally love Christian Bale. His Bruce Wayne was absolutely perfect, and I thought he was believable as Batman. But little things in the suit and a not-so-great-Bat voice...
CRS: You didn't like him as Batman as much as Michael Keaton.
BTWayne: Right.
CRS: But we both agree that his Bruce Wayne was perfect, right?
BTWayne: Oh, totally. 100%. The thing is, I always loved Keaton's version of me, you know? Always had a lot on his mind. Always seemed preoccupied with thought. But Christian Bale... Wow.
CRS: Yeah, he was just... He was perfect. And an aspect that was never really there in the movies but always in real life... Bruce Wayne is a playboy!
BTWayne: Yeah, I really am Gotham's most eligible bachelor. And you're right, that never came up before. You'd always see me throwing parties and such, but where were the girls under each arm aspect?
CRS: It totally put another layer onto who Bruce Wayne is, you know, the idea of putting on a show, pretending he's something he's not.
BTWayne: What do you mean, pretending? I am a billionaire playboy. What've I got to hide?
CRS: Before we get on to the movie itself, you know, the plot, the directing, let's get one more fanboy thing out of the way: The Batmobile.
BTWayne: See, I was worried about that at first...
CRS: Me too.
BTWayne: And when I saw it, I said to myself, yeah, that's cool, but it's not... It's really not Batman. You know? I thought, he couldn't get used to that. I mean, he may be the Dark Avenger, but underneath it all he's still a man, and you know, part of him likes having a sexy sports car. Of course he would never, ever admit that, and would punch you in the face for asking him why he chooses a sexy sports car, but I mean, seriously. Who's going to criticize Batman for indulging in that one little aspect?
CRS: See, when I heard the Batmobile was going to be a bit more like a Hummer, I didn't approve. But when I saw it in action, I loved it. Basically, it was a really mobile tank, and the movie demonstrations why he needs a tank. In fact, one thing I loved about the movie was that it explains those whys and hows. In the comic books, Batman invents all this stuff. But in a movie, it's kind of a lapse in logic. How does Batman invent and produce all this stuff without anyone noticing? The movie explains all that logically. Again, adding another level to the mythos.
BTWayne: Right. And obviously I don't need to mention how the movie goes into very elaborate detail about my going to Japan and training... For... uh... fun. It goes into detail in this area, I mean, the first 20 minutes all took place is Japan, and it's something the previous movies never touched on.
CRS: Again, adding another level of complexity to both you as a character and to the movie itself. And of course, we've got to mention the cast, which was just stupendous. Christopher Nolan is still a really young director, with only four movies to his name, and here he is working with Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine-- who's Alfred was just fantastic, wasn't he? Alfred was always kind of a comic relief before, you know, he's Bruce's butler, he shows up, says something very dry and ironic without being directly comical, and you smile, and that's it. But Michael Caine's Alfred was this kind, caring man, as integral a part in your life, you know, an important figure in your life, and not just as your mild-mannered butler. He was without a doubt the strongest, most well rounded supporting character, and that's in a movie full of well-rounded supporting characters.
BTWayne: Yeah, I know, watching him literally brought a tear to my eye at several points during the movie, because I felt like... *coughs* Yeah, I really liked Michael Caine as Alfred. I also wanted to say that Gary Oldman-- the guy's a chameleon, you know? He plays a pre-commissioner Jim Gordon, and he was every bit the man that Jim really was when I first met him. It was uncanny, really. The same goes with Lucius Fox, played by Morgan Freeman... You know, Lucius is a bit heavier than Freeman, but I loved Freeman's kind, wise, knowing eyes and smiles. Really made me feel like I was looking into a mirror of my life.
CRS: And what did you think of Katie Holmes?
BTWayne: I heard some people giving her some flack because they felt like she was dispensable, but you know, she did her job, and I felt she was compelling enough. I mean, she's not why I went to see the movie.
CRS: True enough. I also felt she did fine, didn't have a problem with her at all, and I'm not sure why anyone would fault her. Just to complain about something, I guess. Yes, she could've been played by any pretty face, it didn't need to be Katie Holmes, but I guess a better question would be, why not Katie Holmes? Rachel Dawes was really an element to keep the Bruce Wayne character grounded, also as a reminder of who he was before he left for Japan... The movie really needed that element, keeping the movie's incarnation of you well rounded.
BTWayne: I think that's where this is kind of heading. The first two movies were really character heavy, but were still, in essence, action movies, although complex, well-rounded ones. Batman Begins is a character study of me, told in the framework of an action movie. A movie that, for some reason, speculates that I'm Batman, though I'm not really sure where these movie makers keep getting this idea.
CRS: And for a movie that was much more realistic in its interpretation, the plot was certainly huge, wasn't it?
BTWayne: Yes, exactly. I loved that it told a grand, superhero story, with the impending doom of the entirety of Gotham-- when I'd heard that this was going to be more realistic, I expected the plot to be more down to earth-- but they totally sold it, it never got ridiculous, it was the perfect kind of action movie. They balanced everything. Although Christopher Nolan was the man at the helm and kept it right where it needed to be, I really have to hand it to David Goyer, who had previously written the Blade movies, for getting everything head on, for writing a big, grand script while having all the ideas of keeping it grounded. For writing these really deep, philosophical lines that run throughout the movie without writing anything cheesy. And obviously for the cast for delivering those lines perfectly without coming off idiotic. But I mean, concerning Goyer, yeah, the Blade movies were a blast, but I still didn't expect this level of quality from him. Now I'm going to trust everything he writes, you know?
CRS: Oh, I totally know where you're coming from. And Christopher Nolan, oh man. To put it simply: Christopher Nolan, who previously directed Memento (which is my favorite movie of the century so far), fucking rules, and he cemented his status as one of the five best directors of his generation. Thomas and Martha Wayne would be proud.
BTWayne: Yeah, I totally-- Wait, what did you say? Thomas and Martha... Oh... *gulps* Yeah. Hey, listen. I gotta go... uh... Really important meeting. You know. Being President of Wayne Enterprises. Yeah. Gotta run.
BTWayne signed off at 6:00:28 PM.
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with love from CRS @ 1:23 PM 

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