Saw it on Saturday night. I need to to see it again to know how it holds up to repeat viewings, but overall, it's my new favorite Batman movie.
I watched Tim Burton's Batman not too long ago after not having seen it in years, and it wasn't as good as I remembered it being. Honestly, I think it's one of the most overrated superhero movies there is, often regarded as genius when it really doesn't deserve that kind of praise. Michael Keaton is physically unbelievable as Batman, the Gotham scenes look like studio sets rather than dirty city streets, and the Batmobile is all about flash and appearance. It's a natural extension of the Batman TV series with Tim Burton's dark wit mixed in.
Christian Bale makes a great Batman--young, handsome, and fit. Gotham looks like a real city close-up, but has a slightly surreal comic book quality when viewed during the long shots. And best of all, the Batmobile, which I thought looked silly when Warner Bros. first revealed the photos, proves itself to be a vehicle built with utility and durability in mind. You believe it's a serious fighting machine that can handle the punishment it's dealt. Batman Begins is a faithful adaptation of the comic book Batman and is much better for it.
The film did a great job of establishing Bruce Wayne's fear of bats and then linking it to his parents' murder. This new Batman spent his adolescence tormented by anger, guilt, and fear, and is about 30 seconds away from becoming a mere vigilante until fate steps in. He then goes on a journey of self-discovery, learning to draw power from his fear and using it to instill fear in others.
The film also makes the heroes and villains believable. Unlike other franchises, which contain characters blessed with otherworldly powers, the Batman universe is populated by a bunch of normal people brandishing crazy outfits and psychological disorders, so it takes some creativity to turn these otherwise normal people into superheroes and supervillains. The revelation of Scarecrow is genuinely disturbing (I heard many people around me gasping and groaning, including my fiancee), but in the end, he's just a psychiatrist with a burlap sack over his face, and the method of his defeat, while seemingly lame, is appropriate given his lack of true power.
It's easy to see why Liam Neeson got the role he did. He's evil Qui-Gonn. I didn't go in expecting him to be a badass, but he was. Michael Caine was great as Alfred; kind, understanding, witty, and intelligent. A true father figure and friend to Bruce. Gary Oldman portrays Gordon as a beaten-down cop overwhelmed by dirty associates, and he's funny (but not in a Stooge way) when thrust into the role of hero later in the film. Katie Holmes was okay as the assistant DA. I would've chosen someone with a bit more character and presence though. I don't see her inspiring the good element of Gotham to rally around her to fight corruption.
The acting was very naturalistic by all parties and I think the performances were excellent overall.
I thought most of the one-liners were pretty funny, many of them lending a nice tongue-in-cheek attitude toward occurrences that are often regarded as normal in superhero movies. This movie took itself seriously, but it revealed a lighter side when appropriate.
Batman Begins is successful for the same reason Superman: The Movie and Spider-Man 2 were successful: it's a movie about character building, which is what draws you in enough to care about all the fighting and explosions and such.
The special effects were extremely well done, and unlike some other movies we're all familiar with, CGI is used in a way that keeps it from drawing attention to itself. There were a couple moments that could've used a bit more polish, but overall, CGI was utilized intelligently.
I'm not sure if I'll be going to see it again though. It's on the launch list for HD-DVD, and since I'm sure to be an early adopter, I'll probably exercise some patience and wait until it's available in HD.
My Batman movie ranking:
1. Batman Begins
2. Batman
3. Batman Returns
I pretend Batman Forever and Batman and Robin never happened.