I couldnt find the other 3 movie threads here so I had to start a new one, Deb and I just returned from seeing Batman Begins, GREAT film! Finally bringing the Batman franchise back into gear to compete with the likes of Spiderman and X-Men. I only hope the pending Superman film will be as good.

I thought Christian Bale was really good as Batman although I didnt think to much of the husk gruff voice he put on when he was in the suit, I suppose he's gotta hide his identity somehow though. Don't get me wrong at quite a few scenes I thought the voice was really cool and fit the mood perfectly but coming from Bale I didnt think it suited him he's more of a Keanu type actor - totally calm while kicking ass (:see Equilibrium) but the movie as a whole and Bale as Batman as a whole was great. 8/10 from me and the obvious sequel due to come has left me in anticipation!

The only thing that confused me was this possible plot hole?

[spoiler]If the microwave generator thing vaporises water then how comes none of the people were affected, after all the human body is 70% water...[/spoiler]

Another thing I really enjoyed about the film were the

[spoiler]Special effects when the poison gas was used by Scarecrow, very cool![/spoiler]

The movie was quite long hitting in at 2 Hours 20 mins but then I like long films, I would rather it have been 2h 20m than 1h 40m, dont ask me why I just enjoy long films lol.

Anybody else got any comments on Batman Begins? Kurdt? Any comments or "mini-reviews" on any other recent films? We're off to see War of the Worlds tommorow so expect a mini-review of that!

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I wasnt asking where the other movie threads were.

BTW Dont you think 5 banners is a bit too much for a sig?

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Yes but shouldent we keep all movie talk in that thread?

There have been multiple movie threads so the same could be said about that thread, shouldnt that have been kept to the movie thread before it?

So it doesnt really matter, the game thread is obviously quite popular but along the way when a cool game or system comes out people make their own threads like the PSP and DS thread awhile ago, that didnt have to be posted in the gaming thread, it would have been at home there but people are free to make threads about whatever they want.

If a mod is around could you prune this thread please so its on topic, thanks.

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To get BACK on topic, hell yes Batman rocked!!! And Christian Bale is amazing. He's one of my role models, actually, as far as acting goes. If you wanna see his work and dedication, check out The Machinist, which he did right before Batman Begins. He lost 1/3 of his body weight and became a walking skeleton and then 6 weeks after wrapping he became a freakin' tank for Batman. That's dedication there.

As for the movie, it was simply amazing. From a comic book standpoint, it was the truest depiction of Batman ever in any medium other than comics (with the slight exception of the animated series from the 90's) and the casting was Spot on. Christian Bale is to Batman what Christopher Reeve was to Superman. The best choice possible. Morgan Freeman was great as Lucius Fox, and Michael Caine turned Alfred into a character with depth, poise, wit and charm. Gary Oldman was an iconic Jim Gordon, and Liam Neeson...well, Liam Neeson was just amazing. I didn't even think Katie Holmes did a bad job. Her character wasn't particularly strong, but then again she wasn't designed to be. She had clear intentions and was uncompromising in them. Her scenes didn't detract from them at all.

[spoiler]Heh, one of my favorite parts was when she was smacking the hell out of Bruce for contemplating killing Joe Chill himself.[/spoiler]
About your question, though...

[spoiler]I agree with that. My only idea behind it is that the microwaves have got to be focused on a singular target. For example, drying up a desert water supply a mile away. Perhaps the microwaves were focused at that specific water target, seeking out only the Gotham sewage system as opposed to the water within the human body and skipping over it entirely.[/spoiler]
I think I'm going to go see this movie again! It'll be my 3rd time so far! I already can't wait for the DVD and all the special features. I'll wear the damn thing out!

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Batman Begins was awesome! I've been waiting to see this movie for a long time, though I didn't know it until it was over. I always thought the first movie by Tim Burton was the best, but after seeing Batman Begins I realised that Burton's film didn't delve deeply enough into the mind of Bruce Wayne to show why he decided to become Batman. Also, I think that after the impressively bad Batman & Robin, which was a lot more like the 60s TV show than the comics, there was no choice but to completely restart the franchise. One really interesting thing I noticed is that almost the entire principal cast of a movie about an American cultural icon is from the UK and Ireland. Maybe the producers are onto something.... At least, I hope Warner Bros. gets Christopher Nolan to direct the sequel.

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Yeah, I thought that was pretty interesting, too. Nolan, Bale, and Oldman are British, and Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson are Irish, and most of the filming was done in Shepperton Studios outside of London. But then again, they WERE the perfect cast, so who really cares? You find the people that are the best for the roles, and that's what counts.

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Batman Begins was awesome.  I can't say anymore than has already been said.  Nolan's visual style was gritty, earthy and dark, as compared to Burtons Dark Goth-version and Schumachers camp.  

As for the plot holes, I give Super Hero movies a big benifit of SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF.  It's a Super Hero Movie.  You don't see a real guy running around a city in Bat-shaped Infantry armor do ya?  Heh.


Bt

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OH DEAR!  :|

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How could you forget Michael Caine!! He's british too.

But yea it was cool seeing a good mix of British and US actors working together, I love Morgan Freeman he's great.

I'll have to defiently see that Machist film it looks really interesting. I'd also recommend Bale's other film Equilibrium I dont think it got great reviews but Deb and I loved it.

I know what you mean Bt but watching Batman it looked like everything was pretty believable apart from that, but I know what you mean.

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I thought Batman Begins was excellent as well.  I also just got back from the Fantastic Four movie and, while some of the liberties they took annoyed me, overall, I thought it was very well done.  Having Michael Chiklis in a costume rather than CGI (like in Hulk) was a much better choice, and of course, best of all...

[spoiler]...Stan Lee finally gets a speaking role![/spoiler]

Bt's right, though; superhero flicks require a massive suspension of disbelief...and that's where the fun is, in the fantasy of it all.

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I have been waiting for this movie for a long time as well, and made it a point to see it in a special theater here in Munich, where the original and not the dubbed version was playing. I enjoyed it a lot as well.

As someone who has been bitten by three different bat species, I could criticise the depiction of bats in the movie, but as it was already said, one doesn't expect a high degree of realism from a movie about superheroes. That said, I would love to get my hands on the device inside Batman's boot; it would have made my job much easier
What they did get right and was good to see it that way, was the fact that the wings are actually the bat's fingers and not some extra limbs growing on its back.

It was great to see Bruce Wayne's metamorphosis and the birth of Batman, to know where he got his martial arts skills and gadgetry from.
Gotham city was also well done, but I couldn't help but compare it to the similar scenes in "Blade Runner".

[spoiler]I was pleasantly suprised to see Liam Neeson in this movie (the last movie where I saw him before that was "Kinsey") and as someone totally unfamiliar with Batman comics I think the plot twist involving his reappearance was well made. Like Angelus, I also enjoyed all scenes with the Scarecrow, and the fragile nerdy look of Dr. Crane was a nice touch, showing how easily he was defeated without his mask or by people immune to the neurotoxin (another thing from the movie I would like to get my hands on  8o ). I think the role suited Cilliam Murphy well and am glad that he wasn't chosen for the role of Batman. [/spoiler]

Does that means there aren't any sonar-type devices that can summon a swarm of bats at a moment's notice? Damn! There goes my idea for next year's Halloween display.

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Definitely was a great film! I even went to see it twice, which I rarely do with most films screening at the cinema. I felt the explanation of where he got his gadgetry and suit from was very plausible.

[spoiler]I don't really follow the comics, but is Rene Ducard (Liam Neeson) really Rai's Al Ghul? My impressions were that the Rai's in the film played by Ken Watanabe was a decoy of sorts and that Ducard was the real Rai's. This didn't occur to me the first time around, but the second time around, I was paying more attention to the dialogue and felt that this was being strongly hinted at, particularly during the confrontation at the manor between Bruce and Ducard. I'm probably wrong, but I've got a funny feeling I could be right to some degree.[/spoiler]

Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to a sequel of sorts.

[spoiler]Especially with the possibility of The Joker being the villain, as hinted at at the end of the film.[/spoiler]

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In response to Skyshark:

[spoiler]Yeah, Liam Neeson was actually Ra's al Ghul. In the comics, Henri Ducard is actually a French detective and one of the greatest detectives in the world. He taught Bruce Wayne detective work. Of course, like Christopher Nolan has said, though, Batman's "between years" were never really touched upon, so at best Ducard is an obscure character. It's easier to get away with changing obscure characters, so I wasn't pissed about it. And in case you're wondering, in the mansion scene, the interaction between "Ducard" and Bruce goes something like this:

Bruce: (to a henchman) "You're not Ra's al Ghul!"
Ducard/Ra's: "Ah, but is Ra's al Ghul inhuman? Is Ra's al Ghul immortal?"
Bruce: "Or does he use cheap decoys and parlor tricks to hide his identity...RA'S. I saved your life!"

So yeah, he's Ra's al Ghul all right. Not a doubt in the brain there.[/spoiler]



That was actually taken straight from Batman: Year One the graphic novel. What the device was was a remote control that would activate a sonic device in the Batcave and send it like a homing beacon in the direction of the remote, making the bats follow that path. It's like a highly advanced Bat-whistle, or something. Heh. I thought it was more realistic in the comic version because he has a line to himself saying, "I hope this works. I didn't design this to work at such a long range..." etc. That felt more realistic to me, but then again Bale could just've been thinking that and it would be okay.


That's funny you should say that, because Christopher Nolan was going for just that kind of effect with Gotham city. Design-wise, he took from slums in China, Neighborhoods in Chicago, London, and other places, and mashed them together to make Gotham City. Before any principal photography was shot, Christopher Nolan sat the entire cast and crew down and watched Blade Runner. Afterwards, Nolan said, "This is how we're going to make Batman." So I'm sure if he's reading this post, you just made his day.


Ah, he goes without saying. He didn't put on an American accent for the play. He was just lovable old Alfred. And I own Equilibrium. It's a brilliant movie. I think I'm going to buy American Psycho as well, another amazing one.

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Yea I was gonna say, American Pyscho I've never seen it, is it worth watching? Its been out for ahwile too hasnt it.

So Kurdt what your saying is that Ducard IS that leader chinese guy? If so who was the chinese guy that was standing there? Or was that the henchmen creating a delusion?

Also if your into special features and that grab a copy of the Batman PS2 (or whatever other system its out for) its not only good but has loads of bonus features like trailers, tv spots, cast interviews, film crew interviews, director interview and a few more!

The cast interview is cool and shows all the cast recording their lines for the games (Bale has shaved all his hair off lol) and them all playing the Batman game on PS2!

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So they really did it more realistically in the comics, because the bat sonar works within small ranges only. If you get a bat detector and eavesdrop on bats in a relatively well illuminated area you'll get the idea, because many times you will be able to see the bat before you hear it. Then again, bats use the sonar for orientation and their social calls are usually within our audible spectrum...


So they record their lines au naturel?

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Cheers, Kurdt! It didn't tweek the first time around (I was very tired after a few straight hours of driving earlier that day), but I picked up on it the second time around and thought I'd check to make sure I wasn't hearing things.

Angelus, the Chinese guy (Ken Watanabe) was essentially a decoy, especially when you consider that the League Of Shadows were essentially a Ninjitsu group.

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Even Rutger Hauer? I'm pretty sure he's already seen Blade Runner.

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I saw the movie. I liked it, although I don't know enough about the comics to comment on the accuracy of that.

One thing bugged me though (whether or not it was accurate to the comics).[spoiler] In the introduction to the batmobile, apparently the Wayne industries spent millions of dollars to design a car that could.......*drumroll*.......  jump across a river!!!![/spoiler]

The rest of the movie was good, but that one point just seemed kinda cheesy.

Well, it HAS been something like 20 years. Maybe he forgot he was in it, heheheh.

As for the bat thing, any way you slice it that's damn unrealistic, but at least they went half-way on it. Heh, I can see the creators now. "Yeah, it's kinda realistic...ah, whatever, if a bat enthusiast comes complainin' I'll just give 'em a free t-shirt and send 'em on their way." Maybe if you call up the WB you can get a free shirt, dude!! If you do, I get half!


No, in this particular depiction, there is no Ducard (or if there is, he isn't in this movie). It was just an alias Ra's used so that nobody would suspect who he was.

And the most awesome thing about comics is that no body=no death. So Liam Neeson could very well come back to plague Batman again. I would very much love to see that one. I mean, not to mention the fact that Ra's al Ghul in the comics IS immortal for all intents and purposes.

I'd definitely love to check out those features. However, I don't have a platform game system (well, I have NES, but that doesn't count), so unless there's a PC version I probably won't buy it. But that's cool that they threw that into the game. Heh, yeah, Bale is looking trimmer again and has a shaved head for a role he's playing for a movie called "Harsh Times." Something about street justice or something, I dunno...and dude, SEE American Psycho. That was the movie that convinced me he could do Bruce Wayne. And if you look at it a certain way it's a dark comedy. It's half nutzo psycho killer thriller and half dark-as-night comedy. You MUST see it.


The way I rationalized it was that while bridging was its main function, it was still a friggin' tank. It was a tank with a specific purpose, like a more useful version 2.0 or something.

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So who was Ra's was he the chinese guy or the Liam Neeson guy?

What did you guys make of the "new" Batmobile, I thought it was cool but thinking about it now I dunno how they could have changed it. I mean the Batmobile is iconic! Its in KQ2VGA for godsake! They took a big risk changing that.

I liked the nod to the original Batman film when Bruce's parents got killed and his mother's pearl necklace hits the floor, for some reason I've always remembed that bit from the original film.

War of the Worlds was amzaing! I havnt seen the original movie or read the book so the ending was quite surprising for me.

This is a total Speilburg movie, the whole thing is one giant special effect lol!

Tom Cruise's acting was top notch throughout and the aliens were quite scary in their tripods.

Amazing special effects and tremendous acting 8/10!!

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