“…possibly the best.superhero.movie.ever.”
So says BlackFive. Also, go say congrats for his second blog anniversary.
Additionally, he has an update on the bullshit Susan Paynter/Marine Recruitment story that I discussed here, which by now I am pretty comfortable calling a malicious smear job.
Anderson
A partial Batman dissent: first, it’s really a PG-13 movie. That rating’s been debased to where I ignore it, but this was the exception. The scenes where characters hallucinate due to Scarecrow’s drugs were scary not only to my 10-year-old boy, but to my 33-year-old wife.
Second, the fight camerawork was mostly awful. You just couldn’t see what the hell was happening. I’ve seen this in many films & thought for a while it was some sort of artistic statement, verisimilitude or whatever. But if so, that’s bogus. One of the pleasures of such movies is supposed to be good fight scenes—sort of what us guys have instead of ballet.
That said, the plot was pretty good, the Liam Neeson plot twist was great, and it was an interesting, watchable movie. Nowhere near either Spidey flick, however, and I would even give X-Men a stronger nod.
Stormy70
Just saw it. Superb. Christian Bale is the greatest Batman, although my husband still prefers Michael Keaton. Yes, excessive editing for fight scenes gets on my nerves, but in this movie, I think the point was to show how Batman moves so fast, it creates the illusion he can’t be seen. It makes it that much scarier for the bad guys. Great acting all around, and I liked it as well as Spiderman. Of course, my sheer hatred for the overwrought acting of Kirsten Dunst may play a part in my decision.
Anderson
Kirsten can get overwrought with me any time she likes … but I can understand your not feeling that way, Stormy70; doubtless you are the more objective judge.
The acting was indeed surprisingly good, tho I shared my wife’s feeling when Morgan Freeman showed up: “what movie is he NOT in?” I don’t care much for Bale, who seems a bit empty inside (acting; no judgment on the state of his soul), but that does work well for the Wayne part.
And Liam Neeson was a much more convincing Jedi in BB than in Episode I, I thought.
Hokie
The best superhero movie at this point is, I think, Spiderman 2. The definitive superhero movie is still Superman.
What Batman Begins is is the best Batman movie, outclassing even 1989’s Batman. I hear they’re going to remake that to fit in with the new movie continuity…but since it’s unlikely Jack Nicholson will reprise his role as the Joker, I hope they make it more Batman-oriented, because Batman was a movie about the Joker, and it worked because Jack Nicholson was brilliant.
Slartibartfast
Keaton was perceived as the best Batman because his work up until then was almost all comedy, and few thought he had the chops to pull off a badass crimefighter/urbane millionaire role, and they (including me) were wrong in a big way. I’d have to see the new movie to decide whether Bale is any good. He was awful in Shaft, but it was an awful movie. I may have to go check out his earlier work, like Swing Kids and Velvet Goldmine.
Hokie
Slartibartfast: I thought he was perfect in American Psycho. And he was one of the better parts of Shaft, though as you say, it was pretty awful all around.