MJ5K's Review

Summary - Very Good 3.5

After the mega disaster of a certain cinematic abomination known as Batman and Robin, there were quite a few rumors going ‘round ’bout a new Batman movie. There was talk of Joel Schumacher helming a fifth film known as Batman Triumphant. The plot was going to involve Scarecrow(played by Howard Stern), Harley Quinn(Madonna, of all people), and Man Bat(Willem Defoe) and they were going to resurect the Joker. In my opinion, that’s one plot line too many. However, there was then talk of a prequel based on Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. And let me tell you, my friend, a prequel is what we got.

Hot off the success of films like Memento and Insomnia, Christopher Nolan signed on signed on to give us a reboot of the classic Batman tale, going from Bruce Wayne’s childhood to his vigilante training to his first steps in the Batcave. There’s no Joker, no Robin, and thankfully, no Bat-nipples. Good God was this movie a breath of fresh air. I really appreciate for what it did for the franchise, it brought it back for a whole new generation. But, I think its a little overrated. Before The Dark Knight came out, people would not only say this was the best Batman movie, but the best COMIC BOOK movie. Those people are wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy off.

First off, before Dark Knight, the best comic book movie was Spider Man 2, this came nowhere close to the epic-ness of that film. I’m not saying this is a bad film at all, I’m saying its good, but while it was a great movie and one of the best reboots ever, it still has some minor flaws. That’s my second point. The film suffers from way too much shaky cam and close ups during the fight scenes, you can barely tell what’s going on. Also, there’s a tad bit too much of angsty pondering. Also, the film is WAY too long. Its very boring at moments and drags out. Despite the flaws I pointed out, this movie is still worth checking out(if anyone still remembers it that is).

Acting - Great 4.0

Christian Bale was an excellent Batman, I think he’s one of the most talented and underrated actors in the business today. He gets great support from the rest of the cast. Michael Cane was a terrific Alfred, I think he was a lot more knowledgable than the Michael Gough version. Gary Oldman steals the show with a powerhouse performance of Sgt. Jim Gordon(he’s not commisioner yet). The always superb Morgan Freeman portsays Lucius Fox, a comic book character who makes his first appearance in the series. Cillian Murphy plays Scarecrow, a villain I was anticapating for a while. He was great, but not in it enough. Liam Neeson was pretty monotone as Ducard/ Rhas Al Ghoul, but its still affective. I didn’t mind Katie Holms despite the fact that she looks 16 and way too young for and sweet for the role of Racael Dawes.

Film - Very Good 3.5

Like I said, the shaky cam is a bit too much. However, some of the chase scenes are very well done and the visuals are great especially with the Tumbler. The score is one of the best modern scores I’ve ever heard in recent films. The dialogue is pretty realistic and not something out of a comic.

Edge - Risqué 1.8

Little to no sexual content within this movie. The violence isn’t too brutal, but still pretty fierce. There’s not too much profanity.

Reality - Glib 1.9

If I had never heard of Batman and watched this movie, I’d think it was pretty real.

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