The film starts out with Bruce Wayne in a Chinese prison. Then for the next 30 or so minutes you get to see some beautiful editing of Bruce training for a secret organization and the back story of Bruce himself as well as what lead him to a prison in China in the first place. It is beautifully done and really does tell you almost everything you need to know about Bruce Wayne before the real movie begins. In short, he has issues.
So you could break this movie into three acts. Act one is Bruce's backstory, act two would be Bruce learning how to become Batman, and act three is Batman saving the city of Gotham from some threats. Somewhat predictable but fun to watch.
The first act was great because you got to see the development of Bruce Wayne the man. Essentially he was a child when he left Gotham. He was still a child when he was in a Chinese prison. Only until he made that fateful decision to go on his own path did he become a man. He returned home as the man ready to take on the world. As an audience member, I was fascinated to see this transition. They really did a good job with it.
The second act is quite awkward. You get to see Batman becoming Batman. It didn't happen overnight, it took some time. For the first time in the theater you are exposed to this development. This not only shows you some reality, but it gives the audience a sense of ownership. A sense of passion. A sense of understanding. The audience's eyes are open.
The third act is what you came to the movie theater to see. It is the weakest of the three but still entertaining. Everything gets blown up and shot to bits. But it is fun. It is also fun to finally see Batman in action.
The story itself is well done. The writers are juggling a lot of information, almost too much information. But they handle it well and reveal it step by step so the audience isn't confused by the development of the plot points. What I really like is that the first time you see the movie you are given small pieces that just are not enough. You are forced to ponder what is going to happen next. This keeps the new audience engaged during the slower parts. That part of story telling is difficult to do but well done in this movie.
Character development is very well done. I would consider it flawless for Batman and Alfred. I really feel as if I know both of those characters intimately. The aspect I like the best was the exploration of Bruce Wayne. They did a good job of getting the audience into his psyche. Perfect? No, but pretty darn close.
The writing is good. It tells a story, an entertaining and tragic story. The writing made the other actors better at their role. It was also the writing that set the pace of the film. There were no lengthy monologues that went on forever. Nothing superficial got the limelight. The writing also made the people seem real. This is not a surreal movie, it was a movie in the raw.
I'm still not sure of what to think of Christian Bale. Sure he played the role well, better then most would have. But I haven't seen him in a wide range of emotions or characters, which is why he hasn't wowed me as a fan yet. But he does everything he is asked of in this film. He shows some emotion here and there, but most of it is testosterone based. There is really no humor in his role (does there need to be?) But when it comes down to playing the development of a child to a man (then a man becoming a bat) he did an excellent job. He made the transformation feel real and plausible. He exposed the audience to some of Batman's demons that drive him. He also made us feel for him, and at times hate him. If you truly understand Batman then these conflicts come out. Batman is not an easy person to understand but I think Christian did a better than average job of playing Batman. (Lets just hope he doesn't mess up John Connor.)
I enjoyed most of the acting in the film. The weakest role was done by Katie Holmes who played Rachel Dawes, a girl that worked in the DA's office. She was your typical female role and felt more like Bruce's sister than a love interest (which I think was a good decision). She was the moral compass in the movie but was really unnecessary past the first act. Even without all the press with Tom Cruise I still don't think she would have made it into the second film.
The two supporting actors, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, played their roles perfectly. Both were a pleasure to watch and made Christian Bale's performances so much better. Both are superior actors in bit roles in this film, but without them a lot of the emotion would have been lost in this movie.
Liam Neeson also played a small role. I think he is an incredible actor and a huge anchor in this movie. His powerful acting enhanced it and made the situation seem more dire then it would have been otherwise. His character was absolutely necessary in this film and he is the only actor I can think of at the moment that could have pulled it off as well as he did.
The flow is not perfect, but still good. There are a couple of moments that I want to fall asleep or hit the FF button. But most movies have that. I think they could have edited it down a few minutes here and there. There are other times that it does slow down but that is for telling the story which is essential for the first time audience member.
There were special effects but nothing earth shattering. It was just a seamless joining of physical effects and some CG work. So is that bad? Absolutely not, I would consider it great because the special effects worked to tell the story, not advertise the movie in previews, or distract from bad writing.
Who do I recommend this for? Anyone that is an action junkie or a fan of comic books. There are a lot of deep seeded emotions and ideas in this film.
The key players Director: Christopher Nolan Screen play: Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer Source Material: Bob Kane
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