Negative reviews actually point out positives! - Batman Begins Reviews

I have found that many reviews bring up "negative" points about the film, but I actually find all of them to actually be positive compliments for Batman Begins. Let's break it down: User Reviews' "negative" comments on Story: "They don't show that the Joker killed Bruce's parents"..."Why do they show Batman receiving training from a bunch of ninjas? Makes no sense."..."The plot is ridiculous, this (villain character) I've never heard of him, and he's too "human"" Actual Positive side: In the original Batman story created by Bob Kane in 1939, Bruce's parents were not gunned down by the Joker, but by a simple street thug. The film gets this right, and actually displays it in a much more dramatic and emotional scene than any of the previous films. Even the Joker's "origin" in Batman 1989 was incorrect. The ninja training on the other side of the world is influenced from several of highly-acclaimed Batman graphic novels including Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" which came out and was very popular in the late 80s/early 90s. It tells of the "missing years" where Bruce went off to learn his fighting skills and more in different parts of the world. The film touches on that here. A compliment to director Nolan and writer Goyer, and basically an uneducated opinion by some users. For the first portion of the film, we actually get to go inside Bruce's attitude, mentality, and thirst for revenge, while learning to struggle with a balance to find justice and righteousness. The (villain character) is actually one of Batman's more intriguing ones. While all the other "crazy and insane" classic villains are more popular, this character is probably the most deadly and most serious. He is Batman's ultimate nemesis, yes even above the Joker. And he is portrayed in Batman Begins almost exactly as he should be in the original comics. I won't spoil it for you, you must watch the film. People have never heard of this villain, so they assume it fails to entertain, but do they really know who the Joker is? Yes people see that he plays deadly practical jokes, but fail to realize that Batman deals with insane psychotics who are placed in an asylum. they are not the typical thugs and corrupt villains that people like Spider-Man or Superman put in jail or hand over to the cops. People forget that over half of Batman's enemies come from a place called "Arkham Asylum". These are far beyond normal criminals. Their sense of reality is lost, and Batman has no choice but to save Gotham from them. User Reviews' "negative" comments on Acting: "They could have picked a better actor to play Bruce"..."the other actors were useless". Actual Positive side: It seems these reveiwers have never actually sat through or had the patience of watching a film that portrayed great emotion, dead-on, and a great sense of flowing dialogue. Most if not all of the actors wear their roles like a comfortable pair of jeans. Even Katie Holmes surprised me by staying fairly within a believable bounds of her role as a young but tough-nosed D.A. Caine stole the Alfred mantle. Freeman slyly delivers. Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane/Scarecrow is convincingly creepy, evil and as disturbed as his patients. I don't think I would've settled with another actor. Neeson embodies his role, and Batman fans couldn't agree more. Christian Bale, a brilliant actor who has up until now flown under the radar, has completely wiped all previous Batmen form the slate. Even when he is not speaking, you can read the emotion and turmoil all over his face, and in his eyes. No one has looked more believably cold under that bat cowl. And Bale has earned an Oscar nod for portraying a multi-dimensional persona of Bruce Wayne as a mental wreck, as a cover-up billionaire playboy, and as demon-possessed Batman. You have never seen Batman like this! And it's not at all silly. You now begin to take Batman more seriously than a guy in tights a cape and a mask. User Reviews' "negative" comments on Directing: "The action scenes were to choppy/blurry..."..."It was too dark".."The movie drags on in the beginning"..."Most people wont sit through the first act..they want to see Batman" Actual Positive side: Those comments only resonate the fact that most people have lost their sense of high quality. IDolan has decided to go back to basics. Back to a time when a budget had to be pushed in order to bring a more memorable quality to the film. Sets, stagehands, carpenters, technicians and actual locations (Chicago, London, Iceland (I believe)) are among what was used for the filming. And Christopher Nolan actually designed the new Batmobile aka the Tumbler himself. That's right, he spent time his garage actually engineering this machine for the film. It really physically jumps in most of those scenes, and it has a 0-60 in under 7 seconds I read somewhere. You see things on the screen for a reason. Explosions were done by pyro-technicians, and not by some geek in front of his Mac or PC. There is a sense of "filmmaking" still here, and it delivers in a pure sense. The fight scenes were meant to "drop" the audience in the middle of the fight, and not just watch it. Even though some people may find it hard to swallow, it does not by any means take away from the flow of the scenes. The cast is such of a high caliber, so why would you give them forgettable and under-delivered lines such as "Anakin, you're breaking my heart! (Star Wars Ep III)"?!?!? This film is clearly not the "family-friendly" or "kid-friendly" nature of Spider-Man or X-Men. Hasn't anyone learned that Batman definitely isn't for kids? I guess not. People have been so easily persuaded to not take Batman seriously, that they don't realize just how serious his world is. But kids can learn and see drama in action. The movie has various overtones of moral decisions and encouragement for self-belief and seeking help from those who care and for whom you care about. The movies delivers on all of the above, and we still haven't gotten to the Visuals! User Reviews' "negative" comments on Visuals: "Some scenes may be too frightening for small children"..."Batman doesn't "fly""..."Too little special effects" Actual Positive side: Although kids under 7 may find some "Scarecrow" images frightening, it is not all that terrible. At least, the visuals are not unnecessary. The theme of the movie seems to be about fear and overcoming it. If your children are listening to it, they can comprehend it. While other movies transition in and out of actual actors to computer generated ones, Batman Begins actually uses stuntmen, and puts Batman on wirework, and who really runs into things, bumps into things, etc. People are actually moving...it's a strange to say it's like a breathe of fresh air. For those of us 8 and above, the "Scarecrow" visuals are simply amazing. You wonder how many ways you can give a memorable terrifying effect, and they seem to hit the right one. And the "fear toxin" visuals give the film a level of serious creepiness appropriate to Batman's world. If it isn't this creepy and terrifying, then you couldn't understand or take it as seriously or as believable. In addition to those visuals, the Botham sets and Chicago and Iceland locations are simply breathetaking. Gotham has remnants of "Balde Runner", a film Chrisopher Nolan regards so highly. Gotham is wet, dark, crowded, and is filled with actual people. As far as costumes, Batman's is by far the best -fitting, and best-looking than any of the previous. And Batman's gadgets are explained, so you begin to understand their use for Batman. Overall: So actually, overall, the negative comments are actually positives. Batman Begins has raised the bar for comic/superhero films, and I say this because it minimizes the corny/cliche/cheesy one-liners (to extras actors), and still manages to place some humorous dialogue without taking away from the seriousness and drama at hand. The film can easily be lost into the "action/drama" section rather than the "fantasy/superhero/scifi" one. It is more "classic" than even Batman 1989. In fact, if you watched Batman Begins, and then watched Batman 1989, you'll be so convinced that Batman 1989 was more like a cartoon movie. The story is remarkable, and if you disregard any connection to the previous Batman films, then you prepare yourself in the best way. The word is that this is a "restart". That WB has chosen to start telling the real Batman mythos from scratch. I'm glad I haven't yet bought any of the previously released Batman DVDs. The definitive Batman Begins will come later this fall! Treat yourself to movie with a quality and class and pure exhiliration that you haven't seen a long time. Batman Begins!!! (In IMAX, too!)