First, I have to say that I really enjoyed this film. It is a great Hollywood adventure, and it is refreshing to see adults making movies again. Director Christopher Nolan has shown that even if you have your hero dressed up for Halloween, it doesn’t mean you have to play down to your audience. This is easily the best version of Batman to be produced and may be the best superhero film of all time. Where the Tim Burton line of Batman films were comical and goofy, this one is brooding and serious. I believe the latter is more suited to this hero. Batman is a guilt-ridden anti-hero. He’s not Superman. Nolan was very smart to take this opportunity to explore the underside of the conflicted postmodern hero.
Exposing the darker side of the Batman character is an interesting choice because he is essentially a god (notice the lower case letters). Today’s superheroes are much like the pantheon of Greek gods of yesteryear. They are a stopping point between us and God (notice the upper case letter). The superheroes (gods) are super human but sub-God. The Greek gods were powerful and controlled the fates of men but were flawed with lust and greed like man. It is interesting to see one of these fallen gods (Batman) be troubled with this situation. This film takes the fallen hero’s humanity very seriously and that makes this film worth the investment.
There is much to be said about this film technically. It is a pleasure to watch and Christian Bale is perfectly cast as the grumpy hero. Bale (Reign of Fire, The Machinist) is one of those guys who can read a phone book and make it seem intense. This guy is very good and I’m thrilled to see him in a large role. I hope this will lead to more large-scale work. It’s time we started getting better talent in our leading roles.
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Article comments
1 - Nathaniel Winn
Not to be a total fanboy, but Scarecrow /= the Joker. No way, no how.
2 - Nehring
I have been roundly blasted for not knowing Scarecrow for this. I am not up on my Batman storylines and didn't know scarecrow was an active character in the series. I apologize for not checking this before posting.
That said, the set up is still very strong - in regards to logically laying the groundwork for the development of The Joker and other villains. It is certainly better than The Joker being dipped in a vat of goo, as they did in the Burton version.
3 - Phillip Winn
The big debate among a certain group of fans is whether Luke Skywalker should play the Joker. Mark Hamill provided the voice for the animated TV series and did a fantastic job, but he's way too old (sorry, Mark) to fit the scenario they've created for this series of films.
Starting with the scarecrow story as a setup to explain why the other nut-jobs run freely throughout Gotham, now that's inspired.
4 - William H. Shears
Loved this movie. The sequel is going to be HUGE. Bale is the man. 'Nuff said.