BATMAN BEGINS [2005] review

I rewatched BATMAN BEGINS in preparation for watching THE DARK KNIGHT this weekend.  I first saw BATMAN BEGINS in a theater here in Japan.  I remember it being pretty much my best movie going experience in Japan.  It was a Wednesday night sneak preview.  And when Batman first went under the dashboard of the Tumbler I screamed out loud like a little girl I thought it was so badass.

Upon this second viewing, however, the movie has lessoned in my opinion.  I feel I am no hurry to ever watch it again.  Now, I love origin story movies.  My favorite book and movie of the LOTR series is Fellowship of the Ring.  I especially like seeing how superheroes become superheroes.  BATMAN BEGINS offers a satisfying, if not a bit stereotypical origin training story.  I mean, how Bruce Wayne gets lost and goes to a Chinese (?) prison to fight criminals and harden himself—I thought that was pretty sweet.  Then getting trained up in a mountain top hideaway, also sweet.  But I think I just do not like Liam Neeson.  I think that was a bad casting choice.

Once Bruce returns to Gotham, the story picks up and I loved the discovering of the Batcave and the real world technical origins of all of Batman’s badass gadgets and gear.  This long second act of the film played well.  And of course every time long-time Jacked-in favorite Michael Caine was on screen was all gold.  

On this second viewing, what really fell apart was the latter half of the third act.  I remembered from my first viewing it was a bit messy and chaotic.  This time I realized that it was really poorly edited, in the way that you don’t know what is going on in the action scenes and the whole movie feels claustrophobic.  The lack of a compelling villain also hurts here.  Then things like Sgt. Gordon unnecessarily being in the on-auto-pilot Tumbler for comic relief, I don’t need things like that.  And how did Rachel and that kid ever get back to safety when both Batman and Sgt. Gordon left them on that island filled with escaped convicts??  

Still, as I am a pure Batman fan, the movie delivers and is perhaps the type of movie best watched on the big screen surrounded by other Batman fans, or at the least excited dudes.

• THE DARK KNIGHT REVIEW (warning spoilers)

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