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Published On: Jun 22, 2005 02:52 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jun 22, 2005 02:52 PM
Batman Begins
It was good. Want more than that?
I like superhero movies; I don't know why, but I
generally do. Not as much as disaster movies, but they are sort of of a piece.
Anyway, I thought Nolan did a good job on this one. The camerawork
at first was a bit hard to follow during fight scenes--one of those times when
you need to get acclimated to the aesthetic before you can really lose the sense
that you are watching a movie. Other than that though, the production was great.
I thought his vision of Gotham was just unique enough to be distinct without
being flashy (I immediately want the Gotham transit system). The special effects
were really great because they didn't scream "we're fake!": the hallucination
sequences were really effective without being
kitschy.
Acting-wise, I thought everyone was good. Bale and Cillian (my boy from 28 Days Later, my most recent top 10 addition) were the best, but there weren't any weak points (Rick felt Katie was, but I thought she was fine).
I mean, I think it's an interesting time for this film. The original Batman came at the end of the Reagan presidency; people could sense that all was not right with America, even though we were savoring our victory over communism. Of course, then, our enemy became the criminal, as evidenced by Bush using Willie Horton so effectively. Now, though, crime, while our local news fixates on it, doesn't seem to be the necessary enemy. It seems then that Nolan and Goyer (scribe of the Blade series) went after a new enemy: corruption. At least, that is how I read it. The enemies of Batman talk of ridding Gotham of its corruption by ridding Gotham of its residents(' sanity). Thus, we have the political corruption as enemy, but also psychic corruption: the polis and mind must be pure. The latter is what Batman is trained to do; the former is what he effects, even if it means destroying some, but not all, of Gotham. It's an interesting plot to have in this post-9/11 America, where we have enemies all around us; Nolan and Goyer seem to be saying that the enemy is actually within, that the enemy are those who purport to help/save America. Interesting.
Acting-wise, I thought everyone was good. Bale and Cillian (my boy from 28 Days Later, my most recent top 10 addition) were the best, but there weren't any weak points (Rick felt Katie was, but I thought she was fine).
I mean, I think it's an interesting time for this film. The original Batman came at the end of the Reagan presidency; people could sense that all was not right with America, even though we were savoring our victory over communism. Of course, then, our enemy became the criminal, as evidenced by Bush using Willie Horton so effectively. Now, though, crime, while our local news fixates on it, doesn't seem to be the necessary enemy. It seems then that Nolan and Goyer (scribe of the Blade series) went after a new enemy: corruption. At least, that is how I read it. The enemies of Batman talk of ridding Gotham of its corruption by ridding Gotham of its residents(' sanity). Thus, we have the political corruption as enemy, but also psychic corruption: the polis and mind must be pure. The latter is what Batman is trained to do; the former is what he effects, even if it means destroying some, but not all, of Gotham. It's an interesting plot to have in this post-9/11 America, where we have enemies all around us; Nolan and Goyer seem to be saying that the enemy is actually within, that the enemy are those who purport to help/save America. Interesting.
Posted: Wed - June 22, 2005 at 02:51 PM |