BATMAN BEGINS

Director: Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia)
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson

This film opened to wonderful reviews, many of which cited this as the best super-hero movie to date. I disagree with this sentiment, although I still think it was a fine little summer movie. Christopher Nolan’s Batman (the director of Memento and Insomnia) is much darker and grittier and more “real” than the comic-book characters of films past. This story does not primarily clash heroes versus villains. It rather spends most of its time depicting the transformation of Bruce Wayne into Batman. This works on some levels, although I still find it difficult to take a man dressed up like a bat particularly seriously. The flaws in the film are large enough to really detract. First, the film sped along too quickly. I never felt like I got to know any of the characters except Batman himself. Secondly, there were some plot holes. Notably, the bad guys put mind-altering hallucinogens in the water supply and then used a magic microwave machine to vaporize all of the city’s water, thereby creating a vaporous cloud that everybody would inhale. Why didn’t they just drop the stuff from a Goodyear blimp, or the top of a skyscraper? Even more to the point, why didn’t the high-tech water-vaporizer turn people into little puffs of steam? Got me. I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, but geesh, work with me here Mr. Nolan… In the end this is still an entertaining and enjoyable summer flick.

Standouts: Christian Bale and the screenplay’s “gritty” characters.
Blowouts: Overwrought plot holes.

Grade: B+

6/12/2005