Kimputer's Weblog

No one will contest Chris Nolan’s superb track record of only 2 movies (Memento and Insomnia). And that was enough to convince the WB that he was the man able to resurrect the Batman franchise. And how well he does it.
Everything seems to be brilliantly executed. A wonderful script, which is both an emotional journey and an actioner at the same time, is a nice start. It truly makes the title worth its name, as the main character develops throughout the movie. Multiple factors over time influence the way he was, is and becomes. Antagonists aren’t as detailed, but luckily aren’t the comical” freaks previously portrayed by Jim Carrey and *sigh* Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then we have the directorial skills, showing off the dark side, focusing both on character and tone. There’s no telling where his talent stops. Oh wait, I just saw it. Action, mostly the personal combat scenes, are quite fast paced short (as in, nanoseconds) cut sequences, making it a bit hard to follow. But the rest is done so nicely, he can be forgiven for those few scenes.
Then we have the ( surprise surprise) mostly British cast (must be thanks to the also Brit director), who all do their part well in their “guest” roles. Main kudos go to, of course, Christian Bale, though after The Machinist, this role is kind of a cakewalk. Also impressive is Katie Holmes, in what seems to be her first mature role, finally shredding her Dawson’s Creek image.
With 2 of my favorites behind the music (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard), it’s strangely non thematic, lacking a definite signature. Though it still fulfills the dramatic hightening duties.
All this combines into a fresh appetite for a sequel, with hopefully most of the cast and crew intact.8½.

This entry was has posted on Saturday, June 18th, 2005 at 21:55 and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.