Batman Begins ReviewFinally got some time to head to the theatre this afternoon. Capsule review: Slow beginning, wonderful second half, overall just a hair under classic.
Start with the understanding that I probably know more about Batman than all but maybe 20 people in the world. I've read almost all the comics, especially the core adventures appearing in Batman and Detective. I've seen all the movies, even the wretched serials. I have a copy of the Batman Encyclopedia from the 1970s (Michael Fleischer is probably one of the 20). So I came to this movie with a critical eye. I'm also something of a purist for the original Batman legend, as it was developed up until about 1980, so I don't like a lot of tinkering.
Hence I was annoyed at R'as Al Ghul training Bruce in hand-to-hand combat. The guy didn't even come along until 30 years into the saga, after Batman was plainly well-established in Gotham City. And the character of Rachel Dawes was somewhat baffling; is she supposed to be Talia? I don't recall her appearing in any of the comics, although it's possible that she showed up briefly.
However, the creation of the Batman--the suit, the car, the Batarangs--was spectacular, as was the whole climactic scene. I loved the bit with the Scarecrow; he first appeared in 1940 and although he wasn't Arkham Asylum's doctor in the books, it makes some sense. The master plan was sufficiently diabolical, and the method of salvation worked. Solid acting by Christian Bale, and obviously the guys around him (Oldman, Freeman, Neeson, Caine, etc.,) know their stuff.
I liked the way some of the more modern elements of Batman were worked in--Wayne Corporation and Lucius Fox, for example. Overall I liked the look of Gotham City--it certainly appeared big and progressive-looking in the early sequences, and gloomy and oppressive in the later ones (symptomatic of the rot that had set in).
