This one goes out to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
829creatch. *g*
Jun. 17th, 2005 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sydni_64Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!
Batman Begins was SO MUCH of what I'd hoped for. Good God. I've seen it twice so far (will be back a few more times) and I liked it even better the second time around.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is truly inspired casting. As Roger Ebert said in his review, I have no idea what Warner Bros. saw in either him or Chris Nolan to make them want to put the franchise into their hands, but I'm just so glad. Seeing American Psycho was enough to sell me on Bale as Batman, and then The Machinist, although it was not a great movie, convinced me even more that Bale knows something about, er, dedication.
Gotham City itself looks fantastic, and I liked that in this movie the analogy between Gotham and New York City is made very clear. (It kind of irks me, in comics, films, etc., when the analogy is lost. Like there's a Batman/Spiderman X-over comic where Batman goes to New York City. How New York City can exist in the Batverse is completely beyond me!)
The second time I saw Batman Begins, I realized the plot has a lot in common with John Ford's film The Searchers, wherein John Wayne and an associate go on a seven year journey to rescue a white girl kidnapped by Comanches. John Wayne's character represents a man who is always left to wander, who belongs neither in "polite" white society or amongst the "savage" Indians whom he hates (other characters criticize him repeatedly for his racist attitudes). And while he goes out claiming to search for justice, it is clear instead that what he really seeks is vengeance (others critize him for this, as well).
The Searchers is a film that many filmmakers count as a strong influence, including George Lucas, who took it as his model for Star Wars, and Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, who took it as their model for Taxi Driver.
Batman Begins is based in large part on Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. I was rereading that this morning, and I was reminded that Batman: Year One contains an extended reference to Taxi Driver (Bruce walks into a "Times Square"-esque part of Gotham, dressed like Travis Bickle, the main character in Taxi Driver. A thug even taunts him, "that crazy vet thing, thass old, ain't it?" (Travis Bickle, like John Wayne's Ethan Edwards in The Searchers is a veteran of a war he was on the wrong side of. For Bickle, it's Vietnam, for Edwards, it's the American Civil War).
And of course, Taxi Driver is based on The Searchers. Hmm.
According to an interview that Chris Nolan and Christian Bale did with Charlie Rose, Bale is locked in for two or three films (that's what he said: "two or three"--I'm assuming it's probably more like three) but Chris Nolan doesn't have a contract to do more yet. It probably depends on what happens to Batman Begins at the box office. So everyone go see it!!
I liked the backstory to Ra's Al Ghul. I don't know if it comes from the comics--I've never seen it there, but my knowledge of comics canon is not so extensive--but I think it does a good job of establishing for newcomers that Ra's is a different species of villain from the thugs or the freaks because of his mystical powers--like the power to inhabit another person's body. It's also a nice way of getting on board the complicated relationship Bruce has with Ra's. Ra's is an enemy, and yet Bruce owes his training to him. So melding Henri's memories with those of Ra's is great. Ra's as friend/father figure/sworn enemy/mentor is built right in.
I just don't know if I can get used to the pronunciation of "Ra's" as "rahz." In the cartoon, it's pronounced "raysh", which I always thought was supercool.
Ra's's story here reminded me of the plotline of the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past," wherein Ra's inhabits the body of his daughter Talia, and uses it to seduce Bruce into bed. (Why isn't that show still on the air?! Waaah! The plotline was handled campily, either--the darkest implications of that were fully on display.)
The whole cast was great. Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow was sort of weird casting, because the Scarecrow is supposed to be very tall and very skinny and definitely not hot. But it worked. He was scaring the bejeezus out of me with what I like to call "the crazy eyes" whenever I see them on someone. (Think of the Runaway Bride, and you know what I'm talking about.)
Anyway. It was great. I loved it. Squeeeeeeeee!!!
Batman Begins was SO MUCH of what I'd hoped for. Good God. I've seen it twice so far (will be back a few more times) and I liked it even better the second time around.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is truly inspired casting. As Roger Ebert said in his review, I have no idea what Warner Bros. saw in either him or Chris Nolan to make them want to put the franchise into their hands, but I'm just so glad. Seeing American Psycho was enough to sell me on Bale as Batman, and then The Machinist, although it was not a great movie, convinced me even more that Bale knows something about, er, dedication.
Gotham City itself looks fantastic, and I liked that in this movie the analogy between Gotham and New York City is made very clear. (It kind of irks me, in comics, films, etc., when the analogy is lost. Like there's a Batman/Spiderman X-over comic where Batman goes to New York City. How New York City can exist in the Batverse is completely beyond me!)
The second time I saw Batman Begins, I realized the plot has a lot in common with John Ford's film The Searchers, wherein John Wayne and an associate go on a seven year journey to rescue a white girl kidnapped by Comanches. John Wayne's character represents a man who is always left to wander, who belongs neither in "polite" white society or amongst the "savage" Indians whom he hates (other characters criticize him repeatedly for his racist attitudes). And while he goes out claiming to search for justice, it is clear instead that what he really seeks is vengeance (others critize him for this, as well).
The Searchers is a film that many filmmakers count as a strong influence, including George Lucas, who took it as his model for Star Wars, and Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, who took it as their model for Taxi Driver.
Batman Begins is based in large part on Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. I was rereading that this morning, and I was reminded that Batman: Year One contains an extended reference to Taxi Driver (Bruce walks into a "Times Square"-esque part of Gotham, dressed like Travis Bickle, the main character in Taxi Driver. A thug even taunts him, "that crazy vet thing, thass old, ain't it?" (Travis Bickle, like John Wayne's Ethan Edwards in The Searchers is a veteran of a war he was on the wrong side of. For Bickle, it's Vietnam, for Edwards, it's the American Civil War).
And of course, Taxi Driver is based on The Searchers. Hmm.
According to an interview that Chris Nolan and Christian Bale did with Charlie Rose, Bale is locked in for two or three films (that's what he said: "two or three"--I'm assuming it's probably more like three) but Chris Nolan doesn't have a contract to do more yet. It probably depends on what happens to Batman Begins at the box office. So everyone go see it!!
I liked the backstory to Ra's Al Ghul. I don't know if it comes from the comics--I've never seen it there, but my knowledge of comics canon is not so extensive--but I think it does a good job of establishing for newcomers that Ra's is a different species of villain from the thugs or the freaks because of his mystical powers--like the power to inhabit another person's body. It's also a nice way of getting on board the complicated relationship Bruce has with Ra's. Ra's is an enemy, and yet Bruce owes his training to him. So melding Henri's memories with those of Ra's is great. Ra's as friend/father figure/sworn enemy/mentor is built right in.
I just don't know if I can get used to the pronunciation of "Ra's" as "rahz." In the cartoon, it's pronounced "raysh", which I always thought was supercool.
Ra's's story here reminded me of the plotline of the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past," wherein Ra's inhabits the body of his daughter Talia, and uses it to seduce Bruce into bed. (Why isn't that show still on the air?! Waaah! The plotline was handled campily, either--the darkest implications of that were fully on display.)
The whole cast was great. Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow was sort of weird casting, because the Scarecrow is supposed to be very tall and very skinny and definitely not hot. But it worked. He was scaring the bejeezus out of me with what I like to call "the crazy eyes" whenever I see them on someone. (Think of the Runaway Bride, and you know what I'm talking about.)
Anyway. It was great. I loved it. Squeeeeeeeee!!!
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-17 11:00 pm (UTC)I'm planning on going again this weekend sometime.
:)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-22 04:49 pm (UTC)I've only seen it three times so far and it's been a week already. I'm slipping! *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-22 08:36 pm (UTC)Glad to know that I'm not the only one who can enjoy a movie multiple times in the theatre. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-19 06:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-22 04:53 pm (UTC)Taxi Driver is so great. I can watch that film over and over and discover something new every time.
I hadn't thought of Hamlet! I'd love to hear (read) more about that.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-24 06:04 am (UTC)I saw the new Batman movie as 'Hamlet'-esque because Bruce knows who murdered his father/parents and he struggles with the will to act. He has issues with blaming his father's weakness and his own fear/insanity. When it comes down to it, he can't avenge his parents' death. But Bruce is much more willing to act than Hamlet. Though in the comics he still has his moments where he gets paralyzed and that screws everything up. His solution is to act crazy. That's all very Hamlet. They kept mentioning the will to act during the movie, and Bruce is a prince after all. Gotham's prince. Gordon would be Horatio. Robin is a strong version of Ophelia -- the drowned love that couldn't be. Awwww.