Batman Begins

I suppose I should give some background. I’ve never read any of the Batman comics. I saw some of the TV series when I was younger. I thought the 1989 “Batman” movie was quite good. I thought the subsequent Batman movies ranged from mediocre to awful. I had heard good things about the latest movie, though, so I went in with pretty high expectations.

I was not disappointed.

I very much enjoyed “Batman Begins” and would even say that it is the best movie I’ve seen this year. Unlike previous Batman efforts, they stayed solidly with a dark theme which avoided the painful awkwardness of trying to mix dark themes with humor which plagued the previous versions. The plot and writing were quite good, with few holes in the story (and hey, it’s based on a comic book, so you gotta let certain things slide). Visuals were excellent. Casting was very good. It seems odd to put a little known lead actor with so many veteran actors in the supporting cast, but it worked surprisingly well. This Wired review complains that Katie Holmes didn’t perform well, but I’d have to disagree on that point. I’ve been a Katie Holmes fan since Dawson’s Creek though, so maybe I’m biased.

Overall, I’d say it was an excellent showing, and hope they can come out with some more Batman stories of this high caliber.