Batman Begins

[Zach R.]

Mark Hamill? He still does movies?

Not really, unless you count Comic Book: The Movie that came out last year(which I thought was hilarious).

But he has been the voice and the authority of and on the Joker since 1992 with the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series and up to "The Batman" Animated series that came out just last year(which is crap, and not only due to the fact that Hamill isn't in it).

He, IMO, puts Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker to shame, even with just his voice.

 

[ClintonHammond]

"He, IMO, puts Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker to shame"

It's not like that's hard to do...

Mark Hamills last movie appears to be "Wolf Tracer's Dinosaur Island".. but the last time I recall seeing his face was Reeseville or Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back...

 

[Feraud]

I mean, the fan community basically picked Bale for the role of Batman anyway.

Is that true? From what I recall at the time Christian Bale was not a well known actor nor an underground or 'indie' favorite. I would be really surprised how or why the fanbase would come up with his name?

Anyway, Bale was a great choice for the lead and Nolan lived up to my expectations as a director. I hope the film makes money for everyone involved.

 

[ITG]

I've known who he is for years as have many. Some movies you might have seen him in are Newsies, Swing Kids, and Empire of the Sun. I probably wouldn't have chosen him because he doesn't have what I consider a strong jaw/chin area like Kilmer did. When the costume is on, if I were a casting director I'd not only be looking at the acting but also how someone's jaw/chin area look with the mask on. But amazingly, Bale looked great in the mask.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/

 

[flat-top]

One name I heard bandied around for the Joker role was Benicio Del Toro. THAT would be awesome! And I hope they follow "The Killing Joke" storyline!!
HOW many years do we have to wait for this???
flat-top

 

[HaraldTheSwede]

But he has been the voice and the authority of and on the Joker since 1992 with the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series and up to "The Batman" Animated series that came out just last year(which is crap, and not only due to the fact that Hamill isn't in it).

I was astonished when I learned that Hamill did the voice for The Joker in Batman TAS. It's such a great Joker voice, and I never thought he could've done it.

 

[Zach R.]

I think, in many fans' minds the performance that made them think he would be a great person to play Batman was probably his most famous role, of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

HTS: Yeah, I remember watching all of the episodes of TAS and never knowing he voiced the Joker until one day I did a double-take during the credits when I saw his name flash by. But I didn't know who he played as they didn't label who was who in the credits, I always assumed he played one of the background characters until we got the internet around 1997.

And you're right, Moore's work on The Killing Joke was awesome, I'd really love to see even a few pages of that story make it on screen.

(you can find a TPB on Amazon for 3 bucks by the way)

One casting rumour that I never liked was the one that involved Crispen Glover as the Joker.

I can just imagine a line in that movie:

"Batman, this is the end for you, I am your density"

 

[Kent Allard]

I think the roll that called Bateman to the attention of a lot of the hardcore fanboys (myself included) as a possible Batman was "Equilibrium". He played the action scenes well while also managing to show the human side of the character.

 

[ClintonHammond]

"as a possible Batman was "Equilibrium"

And maybe Reign Of Fire....

 

[Feraud]

"as a possible Batman was "Equilibrium"

And maybe Reign Of Fire....

Reign of Fire. That the film where the child is traumatized by an event and grows up to defend the community?
Shades of Batman I think...
Great movie btw!

 

[ClintonHammond]

So I wasn't the only one who noticed that eh?

 

[swinggal]

I liked this movie a lot and all the other so-called Batman movies should be burned! This is part of a trio so we will get the two more in the same mould.

My friend (and swing dancer) Shane McCarthy from Perth is a freelance writer for DC comics and this was always his take on the Batman story, a dark tale of a 'real' man who takes on the crims in his own way. In fact he wrote a Batman series last year.

I love the fact that tis movie wasn't a 'Superhero' movie at all. And it was great to see the hows and whys, especially in regard to his equipment and training etc. His first encounters with Gordon and the reasons why Gotham had fallen into a state of decay is also very important.

Shanes website with hsi work: http://members.optusnet.com.au/thutchison01/SM/projects.htm

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I thought the Tim Burton Batman movies were quite good in their own right though, the first one especially. The second was just...really dark and twisted. The ones that should be burned are the ones that came between the Tim Burton ones and this new one.

 

[HaraldTheSwede]

I just watched this one (the swedish premiere was yesterday), and I must say I am disappointed. In most ways it's a well made modern action movie, but as a Batman movie it's seriously lacking. First of all Gotham City was just boring. It could've been any major modern city. I wanted a much darker and dirtier city, with gothic buildings, and streets that really felt dangerous. A city with a soul and a pulse.

My second issue with this movie is Batman himself. I really liked all the background information to the Batman character, in most ways this is done just right. But after his training, Batman is way too perfect. Just like Gotham City he is boring. It's like all his depth was lost. I want a dark and troubled Batman, that walks a tight rope between justice and vengeance. A character that questions himself and his actions. A man that sees his dead parents everytime he knocks out a bad guy.

They made a rather good action movie, but failed to give it the Batman soul that I like.

 

[Vanessa]

First of all Gotham City was just boring. It could've been any major modern city. I wanted a much darker and dirtier city, with gothic buildings, and streets that really felt dangerous. A city with a soul and a pulse.

Boring? Gosh, I didn't see it like that at all. Chicago was the background city used for Gotham and maybe it's just me recognizing downtown late at night (scum city), but I thought it was very dark, very worthy of the 'dark knight' storyline.
Anyone else from Chicago identify all the buildings? Or catch any of the filming when they were in town?

 

[Mycroft]

Boring? Gosh, I didn't see it like that at all. Chicago was the background city used for Gotham and maybe it's just me recognizing downtown late at night (scum city), but I thought it was very dark, very worthy of the 'dark knight' storyline.
Anyone else from Chicago identify all the buildings? Or catch any of the filming when they were in town?

They filmed most of it in Chicago, acording to the Tour Guide I had there 2 summers ago. Also, if anyone red Batman: Year One, it was almost identicle in many parts.

 

[HaraldTheSwede]

Boring? Gosh, I didn't see it like that at all. Chicago was the background city used for Gotham and maybe it's just me recognizing downtown late at night (scum city), but I thought it was very dark, very worthy of the 'dark knight' storyline.

Gotham City felt like a studio to me. As if they had taken parts of Chicago and disconnected them entirely from the rest of the city, so that the soul was lost.

 

[Kentucky Blues]

Well, I can agree with you on the City.....Burton definately had the better Gotham (keyword=goth) especially in Batman Returns...but overall Begins is far superior to the rest of the movies

 

[Ken]

I have to say while I really liked this movie, and it is probably the best Batman film we have, it still wasn't as good as I was hoping for.

For a start, personally, I wasn't overly enamoured with the costume (mainly the cowl) - I just thought it looked kind of funny.

I certainly liked the direction they tried to take it in - going darker, and I liked Liam Neeson's performance. But I wasn't sure that Michael Cane, while a great actor, was the right person for Alfred at all.

My favourite portrayal of Batman is probably the original animated series. In film its Batman: Dad End - while I am not so keen on the overall 'story' of Dead End they really did a great job of the character Batman. Go watch it if you haven't seen it already.

Ken

 

[Daniel Riser]

There were elements of Batman Begins that were disappointing to me.

Alan Rickman's portrayal of Gordon was Ned Flanders in live-action form and Liam Neeson's performance was only different to Qui Gon Jin in that Batman Begins featured him with short hair...

Michael Cain was probably the most disappointing character. I have been a devoted fan of Cain for years and think of him as one of the greatest actors alive, however as Alfred he was simply "the Butler with an obligation." There was no strong relationship between the two of them like you see in Burton's Batman.

Also, as a writer, I was very disappointed in the script and small creative decisions. For instance: Burton's Batman features a man killing Bruce's parents for his mother's pearl necklace. (pearls are a symbol of purity) the necklace breaks apart (Bruce's purity shattering) and the husband defends his wife and is killed, then the wife is executed leaving Bruce with his dead parents and a murderer who doesn't even bother to pick up the pieces of "purity." He points the gun at young Bruce, is summoned by an un seen presence (his friend in the darkness) and walks away, purposely and ruthlessly leaving Bruce with his "shattered purity." The father is strong and protective (like Batman), the mother is pure and innocent (like the people Batman defends) and young Bruce witnesses his purity being shattered and the cold-bloodedness of Gotham.

Burton emphasized cold-blooded murder.

In Nolan's version this same scene featured a very weak husband who was shot while trying to pull out his wallet by a man who seems to be drunk or high (being under the influence of an external substance; therefore diminishing his cold-bloodedness) His wife was shot because the man panics then runs away leaving Bruce with two dead people. So we have: a weak husband who quickly gives in to oppression (not an example to Batman) a drugged up bum with a gun (a weak, demonized drunk not a cold-blooded Gothamite) and a little boy stuck with two corpses.

Burton emphasized the evil that is bread in Gotham far more effectively than Nolan. The scene with the Joker giving away money illustrating the intensity of greed in the city is a perfect definition of evil.

Nolan emphasized one bad guy and then showed that he isn't as powerful as the next guy who isn't as powerful as the next guy who isn't as powerful as Qui Gon... um Liam Neeson; who happens to be the "metaphorical" father of Batman ... yet he's evil, or is it that he's just misunderstood? Because he believes in destorying... evil. So is this a social commentary? or a $10 summer movie?

The real cold-blooded killer in the film was Scarecrow, briliantly portrayed and brilliantly written.

Now... Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne and Batman are... hands down, a perfect performance by an underrated actor. He purposely sounded like a tough guy when he was Batman because he had never been a "super hero" before and that was brilliant. He made the film worth $10 to me, but that was the only strong element, of this blotchy summer flick, that stood out to me.

Regards,

Simon Cowell.... uh Daniel Riser

P.S. And Morgan Freeman was the token black guy. Very poorly written character, they robbed Morgan of a good opportunity.