FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

As a young boy, Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents in one of the many dank alleys of Gotham City. Since that moment, he has been determined to train in multiple arenas and become a multi-faceted warrior. His goal is to exact revenge on not only the man who killed his father, but also to put fear in the hearts of all of the city’s lowlifes. He’s studied with the best and he’s ready to hit the streets. Armed with all the money he needs, thanks to inheriting one of the world’s largest corporations, cool toys and gadgets, thanks to the research and development department of said company, and those combat skills, all he needs to take on those nasty villains is an identity, a symbol that he can embody that instills terror. Hmmm…what should it be…?

I don’t want to ruin anything for you, but……..it’s a bat. I know, no big surprise there. In fact, the whole thing is rather void of true suspense or bombshells. The problem is that the story of Batman has permeated our culture so deeply that most of the people know the vital plot points going in to the picture, or if not, then can figure them out pretty quickly. It becomes pretty similar to watching “Star Wars: Episode III” in that you want to see how those benchmarks are hit and how the filmmakers hit them. In this case, they do a damn good job. Not perfect, but damn good.

Director/Co-Writer Christopher Nolan (“Memento,” “Insomnia”) brings this series back to that accessible level of darkness that left when Tim Burton did. This city looks like a crooked place to live and work. But although that atmosphere comes across, it’s still a little too subtle. So much time is devoted to telling Bruce’s story that Gotham doesn’t get the time necessary to develop as a character. Co-Writer David S. Goyer, the go to guy for comic based movies (“Blade,” the upcoming films “Ghost Rider” and “The Flash”), avoids making the whole thing cheesy and lame and he’s able to balance solid entertainment value for the plebeians with treating fanboys to some teasers and a mix of references to their favorite graphic novels.

That doesn’t mean the film isn’t flawless. Despite all the good elements of the story, the script suffers from an inordinate number of called back lines – lines that one character says to another only to have it thrown back in his face verbatim later on. I swear there must have been something like five of these in a row near the end. It was ridiculous and painful. The cutting of the action sequences went way too quickly. If I could actually see the fights from a little bit of a distance, so I could tell what was going on, then maybe I’d enjoy them more. Rapid cuts showing extreme close-ups of flailing body parts doesn’t do the trick. The main problem, however, is that the movie just didn’t grab me. There was plenty of action and Wayne’s training was sort of cool, but it was tough to get fully invested in what was on the screen. “Batman Begins” is a fine film, but it lacks a certain intangible element that would truly make it great, but I’m a jaded film critic. I know the kids will love it.

respond to jon@filmbrats.com