Batman Begins Reaction: Spoiler-Free!
6/16/2005
I'm one of those 'halfway' hardcore Batman fans. I started reading the comics around 1988. Once upon a time, Arkham Asylum was a NEW graphic novel awaiting my hungry eyes.
Years went by, and I lost my interest in comics. The story lines weakened, and the arrival of the Tim Burton Batman movies softened the tone of the ongoing arcs and resulted in an overabundance of utter garbage in the comic continuum. I respect the first two Batman movies for the artistry and timeliness. However, they got the Caped Crusader all wrong.
Finally, we have a portrayal of the Dark Knight I remember reading about. No more sappy, tongue-in-cheek silliness. No more style over substance. This is meaty, gritty Batman, and this amazing film embodies the heart and soul of what this comic was all about.
If you have been put off by comic book movies because of their overabundance of over-the-top cameos and half-baked plots, then I urge you to check out this latest installment of Batman. This is the benchmark for redefining a legacy. This is how it should have been done from the beginning.
My only criticism is for the cliché' lovey-dovey scene at the end, though I understand its usefulness (mainly because Batman really doesn't get an opportunity to talk to too many different people, and therefore it's somewhat difficult to actually tell an emotional tale without SOMEONE from his past to provide some commentary on his journey).
I only hope they finally turn Arkham Asylum into a film. Perhaps it would be too dark for the younger viewers, but it would make one of my biggest geekboy wet dreams come true.
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Check out the web site for Corpse Bride, a new stop-motion animated film coming out later this year (and one of two Tim Burton movies this year. Don't forget Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Lastly, it's turning out to be a wonderful year for geeks. Here's a list of movies I'm aching to see this year. 20 total. As a side note: every time I go to the movie, it costs me roughly $16 in tickets and $8 in snacks. Multiply this 19 times and I get $456. This is my movie-going budget for 2005!
Now, The List:
Fantastic 4 (I predict it will be a 3-star event)
Serenity (I'm drooling at the bit!)
War of the Worlds
Land of the Dead (oh yeah, another Romero zombie flick!)
Undead (curious)
Dark Water (will it be good? Doubtful. But Jennifer Connelly's in it!)
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Yes!)
The Brothers Grimm (my most anticipated film of the year)
A Sound of Thunder (Ray Bradbury story)
The Libertine (second most anticipated film. Shane McGowan's in it!)
Corpse Bride (2 Tim Burton movies in one Summer! My head will explode!)
A History of Violence (Cronenberg is back)
Lord of War (Directed by Andrew Niccol. What more needs said?)
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit starring Wallace & Gromit (yay!)
The Legend of Zorro (I loved the last film.)
V for Vendetta (I hope it's as good as it looks)
Zathura (sort-of sequel to Jumanji - might be good)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
King Kong (will it be worthy?)
MirrorMask (Neil Gaiman)
Like I said, it's turning out to be a good year to be a geek. Two Tim Burton movies, the return of Romero, the arrival of GOOD Batman, new Doctor Who, a second season of Lost and BSG (fun so far!), and a slu of movies to spend all my hard working money on. I'll be starving, but happy!
And my friend Shane is slowly, subtly trying to reconvert me into a comic book collector. If that happens, I'll have to take a loan out or will my body to science! Sheesh!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
