Viraj's Weblog

I never much was a Batman fan, so I didn't plan on checking out Batman Begins. I had seen the trailer and liked Christian Bale from American Psycho, but that's about it. Then I read Ebert's review which got me interested. I found out from there that it was directed by Christopher Nolan and then I just had to see it. This is the director that did Memento, which I thought was an amazing achievement in filmmaking.

What a great movie. I never thought there was alot of philosophy and politics behind Batman, and judging from the Adam West TV show who would think that? At the beginning of the movie I saw monastaries and other Buddhism-like stuff and was thinking WTF? But this movie is very dark and thought-provoking indeed. It seems like that's the trend nowadays. Compare the 'darkness' factor of the early Star Wars to the latest one. Things are just alot meaner. It goes into 'why' there is a Batman, and I found it really interesting and inspiring. Batman is essentially a person that dedicates his life to an ideal. It's something I try to do in my little life as well. There is an interesting bit about him becoming a criminal and going to jail just to understand the criminal mind. That's how much dedication he had.

The movie talks alot about confronting one's fears. There is a very cool scene where pre-Batman is being 'initiated' by a league of crime-fighters. He is given a drug that magnifies all of his fears, and while on this drug, he must defend himself. It's a strange and dark scene, and I kept thinking this can't be for kids to watch. It's rated PG-13 though. Honestly I think it should be R.

I'm not sure if many people will like the movie. It has alot of action, but it also is heavy on dialogue. The direction is good. It was refreshing to see a car chase in a blockbuster movie that isn't a fucking car commercial for once. My only gripe is that during the fight scenes it is hard to tell what is going on. The camera flies everywhere. I understand it adds to the excitement factor, but it's a little overboard.