Yeah, I know, I know! After "Daredevil" I said I would not go see anymore comic book bullshit! Well, three things sucked me in. A very exciting trailer, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. I thought I'd take a chance (at matinee price, of course) to see if they finally made a Batman that was somewhat faithful to the Bob Kane Batman. This was it and it was nice to see an improvement on the previous three attempts. Young Bruce Wayne falls into an abandoned well with thousands of bats and develops a life-long fobia. Soon after that he must deal with the brutal and vicious murder of his parents. As he grows older, he searches the world for direction. As he travels he finds that there is a secret society that has controlled the world for centuries and they are bent on destroying his beloved Gotham "for the sake of the rest of the world." He knows that his city can be saved and made better but he must race to do it before the society can wreak their special brand of havoc. He enlists the aid of Alfred, the faithful family butler, a Wayne company employee that had worked with his father and a police officer that is a very hard sell. Between the four of them they have their work cut out but they make quite a team, and, a legend is born! This picture was not your run of the mill CBBS (see above) though it had the hero, villain, special effects and the damsel (not necessarily in distress). What made this movie different was the story. It answered many questions as to the origin of Batman and also gave us a villain with a twist. Christian Bale was EXCELLENT as Batman but it's the supporting cast that puts this picture on the map. Wow! Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Mr. Fox (Batman's "Q"), Liam Neeson as the villain (?) and Gary Oldman as the cop. Add to that, Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty) and Rutger Hauer (Wanted Dead Or Alive) and you have some of the finest actors in pictures today. I like the Michael Keaton Batman but I liked this story better and Bale is absolutely equal to Keaton (not better or worse). The story moved along at a fast pace but slowed down long enough for us to catch up when we needed to. I enjoyed this latest installment and am waiting for the sequel that they set up at the end with a single playing card left by a villain. Hmmmm? Now what card could that be? "Didn't you get the memo?" RECOMMENDATION: Fast, slick and furious action that's suitable for the whole family. This picture jumps right out of the screen at you and you don't even need those damn red and green glasses! Go see it! Rated PG 13 for action movie type violence. TWO ROBINLESS, BUT EXTREMELY CAPED AND CRUSADING THUMBS UP!!! (DC would be proud!) Movie Review © 2005 by Terry Anderson |
