Batman Begins: 8.5 /10 super movie, best comic book movie (until TDK came out), still suffers a slightly
cartoonish feel in some aspects as a hangover from the Burton days, in particularly
the look and feel of Gotham city, we know it's a set /model/ CGI.
TDK 9.5/10 Nolan ups it a gear. Gone are the cartoonish sets, the film starts in Broad daylight and Batman
shows up on the streets, hell he even goes to Hong Kong (and real Hong Kong, not a CGI fake out)
All this blends the fantastic elements with the realistic (my only gripe, and it's a tiny one, is the
one time Batman breaks the laws of physics, when he lasso's the Joker in mid fall. We all know that
gravity would make this impossible without either Batman getting pulled over, or the Joker getting
ripped apart ...okay, it's out of my system now).
Otherwise, a riveting film, the fastest 2 hours of my life. I saw it in IMAX in Toronto (sadly no IMAX
down here in NZ). The sonar/ white eye sequence at the end is truly breathtaking in IMAX.
Ledger's joker ? Well, no one will be able to play that role again without suffering comparison.
An amazing transformation, and worthy of every accolade it received. The Batman/Joker scene
interrogation scene is just genius -especially when Batman loses the plot, and starts beating the
Joker, who simply laughs...wow !
So there you have it, Great characters, great performances, fantastic stunts/special effects but grounded in
reality. Best Batman/comic book film ever until...
TDKR 10/10 Nolan does EPIC ! Totally grounded in reality, and with performances that moisten the eyes.
The only sets are the prison and the Batcave, but even they are physical constructions, and they work.
No more grapple gun, no more flying off rooftops, Batman is truly mortal in this film.
When he's fighting in broad daylight at the end does he look a bit out of place, YES, because
he's meant to.
The film is deep on so many levels, I just realised that Bane is Bruce's equal and exact opposite
(motivation = save Gotham vs destory Gotham) even their masks, Bruce's covers all but his mouth,
Bane's covers mostly his mouth...but I digress.
As someone who's got plenty of contact-sports-related injuries, I loved the Doctor's visit.
Who else has had the balls to explore the physcial toll that crime-fighting takes ?
Are there some plot hole, yes ? Is every second perfect no. But the overall majesty of the film
makes it a 10.
My main reason for praising this film is that it is actually about Bruce Wayne. The first film is about
Bruce's first steps on a journey of self-discovery, but this film takes him to depths and heights we
couldn't imagine. Huge props to Bale, he really carries it off -from the wreckage of Bruce Wayne the
recluse, to the return of the angry young Batman, to the totally defeated ruin, and then the ascendance
of the man who learns that living and moving past one's pain are the hardest things to do.
All the other performances are solid, Hardy, Hathaway, Oldman, Levit, Cotillard and Freeman, a superb
collection. If I talked about them, this thread would go on for days !
Let's hope we see them as the Christopher Nolan players in some more Nolan films.
My favourite Bale moment is when BRuce iss lying in the prison bed, watching Gotham suffer on TV, and
there's a look of absolute and total despair. People complain that the film is missing Ledger's Joker, but
they are missing the point. This is Bruce's film, Bale's film, it needs to focus on him and the end
of his saga.
And that's something that only Frank Miller has had the balls to do so far (back in 1986!).
It ENDS the story of BRuce Wayne. Batman may yet live on, as does Bruce but they are now seperate stories.
Chapter closed. Some reviewers have used the word "Wagnerian" to describe the operatic quality of the film
Ever tried sitting thru a Wagner opera, not easy. Yet these are cultural treasures, and this film is too.
Nolan has said that one theme of the films is escalation, and after TDK I was wondering how he was going
to get bigger. But in true Nolan style, he delivers. This is the Gottedammerung of Batman, his Apocalypse.
It took me a while to get it, but that very last look at Batman's face, as he's flying the bomb out of the city...
what Bruce is thinking there is about how easy it would be just to fly on and die. That's when he makes the
choice, to do something even harder, to live. That's the emotional payoff we all secretly yearn for, and
Nolan delivers. I'm sad he won't be doing any more Batman films, but after seeing what a Nolan-original-
concept movie looks like ( Inception, another 10/10) I'm excited about what his next project will be.
I hope the Academy doesn't snub the film, personally I reckon Bale should get the best actor nod. If Russel
Crowe can win for Gladiator (and "...at my command unleash hell !") then Bale should be a shoe-in.
Not sure if TDKR will win best picture, but Nolan should certainly get best director, just for managing
this apocalyptic epic.
/Spoiler]
Definitely my favourite trilogy, and that's saying a lot because I loved LOTR. Thank God Nolan's trilogy
didn't implode like the Matrix or Superman films.
(another great trilogy that's often forgotten is the Bourne trilogy, which I think is near perfect as well).
Ok, enough from me, long live Christopher Nolan, and Batman !