X3 (script) "What works? The character interactions, especially the X-Men, are top-notch. The threesome of Bobby, Kitty, and Rogue are developed in a cogent and convincing manner. Beast has an honest chance to stand out, too, although that could be for either good or bad reasons. What's not so hot? Well, the plot sucks, and that's never a good sign. If the Sentinels show up in the third act, it's redeemed. Otherwise, this feels like a cop-out of sorts..." (full review)
The Fog (script) "This being a horror remake, they have more money for effects and this fog is a lot more gruesome and aggressive. This Fog will be gorier. At least that is how it read. It takes many shapes and forms kind of like the liquid Terminator. It can do whatever it wants. In one cool scene, the fog goes inside a victim and melts him from the inside out..." (full review)
Serenity "The movie unfortunately has the stink of TV on it. It has lots of pithy one liners that play great on TV but tend to sound phony in movies. But worse it has the heavily cliched plot about racing to get certain information to the public before the powers that be find out and stop them. Information that can save the world dammit! Please. Been there, seen it too many times..." (full review)
Batman Begins "The best thing about this movie is that it doesn't try to be like other superhero movies. It dares to play the material straight and in so doing gives us a story with more depth and texture than just about any previous entry in this genre. It just about makes you want plant a big wet one on Nolan in thanks..." (full review)
"David Goyer has dug so deep into why a man would dress up like a bat and fly around the slums that it actually almost makes sense - and Nolan's choice to ground the story firmly in reality (there's nothing supernatural or "otherwordly" about this Gotham) only further emphasizes that this is the story about one regular (well, filthy-stinking-rich regular) man's choice to wage a war on crime using whatever resources he can muster..." (full review)
"This is the closest anyone's come to bringing the Batman of the comic books to the big screen. Sure, it's bogged down left and right by various poor creative decisions and bad dialogue, but it makes up for it with just as many cool scenes and quality performances. I don't like it quite as much as Tim Burton's 1989 Batman..." (full review)
Batman Begins by 'Froggie Dude'
That billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne could also share the same body as the mysterious caped crusader is the greatest fascination of the Batman comic series' readers. Which of the two personalities dominates the mind is the primary question of the stories of Gotham City, and perhaps the greatest masterstroke of BATMAN BEGINS, a film chocked full of masterstrokes, and the new crown jewel of the comic-to-film genre.
Batman, of course, has become part of the pop culture mythology, through merchandising, television, and of course the previous feature films. That his origins and motives could remain so thoroughly unexplored until now remains a disservice to his loyal fans. BEGINS follows the story of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) from his privileged but ultimately tragic childhood to his days as a fledgling crime fighter. These circumstances are, of course by now, well known. The film also intelligently reveals Wayne's guilt-ridden days as a drifter, mourning the loss of his parents and thirst for revenge, from the streets of Gotham, all the way into the mountains of Tibet. There he meets Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), an assassin member of the League of Shadows, a secret organization of ninja terrorists, lead by the mysterious Rhys Al Ghul, played by Ken Watanabe. Ducard trains Wayne to use cunning as well as force, all the while engaging his mind and emotions in a duel of wits, providing more insight into the character of Wayne and the genesis of his alter-ego in a few short scenes than any combination the previous films. His decision to forsake the League and return to Gotham to avenge his parents' death, a moment of tremendous dramatic tension, speaks volumes into the character.
For fans used to the previous Bat-formula--rubber-clad Batman plus an equally-decked-out psychopath equaling mayhem--this kind of complex character study may sound tiresome. Not to worry, the second half of the film returns to the action-packed Gotham City (actually Chicago, looking great, if a couple landmarks are a bit too Chicago-ish) of midnight crime fighting. The movie treats us the creation of the Batcave, the Batsuit, and even provides an answer to Jack Nicholson's famous line, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" Of course, the staples of any Bat-story are here too, and more dimensional than ever before: Alfred (Michael Caine) the loyal butler, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) the incorruptible cop, and the brainy, gorgeous babe Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). We get the indispensable supervillian too, Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), who's alter-ego the Scarecrow spreads a hallucinogenic fear toxin, providing the film with some great visual candy.
What's truly remarkable is that director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer inject such complexity into their characters while still providing all those wonderful explosions. The ensemble cast (I have yet to mention Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, or Rutger Hauer) equally deserves praise, reveling in all their moments on screen. Neeson and Murphy particularly chew their lines, with Neeson's quiet intimidation complimenting Murphy's eccentricity. Caine's acid wit and Watanabe's silent presence are put to good use, and Holmes, if a bit young for her role, emerges as a mature performer. At the center of it all is Bale, however, who's performance holds the movie together. His is the greatest Batman to date, playing the growing ambiguity between Bruce Wayne and Batman with such delicate precision. His may be the finest performance in the history of the genre.
Fans of the comics will note that the tone and style of the story works more in the style of Jeph Loeb as opposed to Frank Miller, who's work inspired the beloved, yet flawed Tim Burton films. Goyer and Nolan are wise to shy away from Miller's militant neurotic, and embrace Loeb's cunning intellectual. Comic fans will also note the cameos and references to some of Batman's other friends and foes, including Mr. Zsasz, Barbara Gordon, and Harvey Dent, and audiences everywhere will cheer the allusion, coming in the final moments of the film, to who we might see in the inevitable sequel. If there's one flaw in the story, it's the lack of a satisfactory resolution to the fiendish plot unleashed on Gotham, yet it's a problem easily resolved in the next installment. I, for one, will be there, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel. * out of *
