Batman Begins... To Reinvent Itself?

**Review is also mirrored on Vraxx.com's Misc section**
Wow, been a while since I did a movie review. Let me preface any flamers by saying that I am a fan of the Batman franchise, and enjoyed the first two Burton helmed movies a lot. I'll try to avoid comparisons to the original films and weight Batman Begins on its own merits.

From a cinematography standpoint the movie is well shot. You have a great sense of the gritty origins of Bruce Wayne and the seedy criminal underworld that he delved into to become the Dark Knight. Most of the progress of the storyline is well laid out and the environs used feel right. (Though perhaps rather too modern)

What I was less impressed by oddly enough were the leads. Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne was very close to what I expected of a younger, playboyish millionaire. Though perhaps he lacked some of the quirky wit of Michael Keaton's performance, he had that youthful fire and the recklessness that was needed of the part. In that regard I felt he brought something that was lacking in the Keaton performance. As Batman however I felt Bale was trying too hard and the end result was a rigid, often over-acted hero. There were points in the film that I felt a sense of the dubbed-Japanese films, seeing Bale's mouth move with an over-enunciated mannerism. Katie Holmes' character of Rachel Dawes (apparently a prosecutor in Gotham) though providing a wholesome, all American girl look, just didn't really endear herself. Lackluster lines and scenes that really weren't lengthy or impressive left me feeling they could have just cookie cuttered the role.

On the plus side I felt that the support casting was done very well. A surprisingly restrained Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon played well to Bale's younger Wayne. Though his scenes are few and far between they framed the relationship that the two characters would have into the future of the series very well. Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) was very well portrayed, though I tended to wonder if he was just a tad "too pretty" to play the fear-inducing villain. Sir Michael Cain as Alfred had me somewhat torn. While I felt Cain portrayed the faithful butler well as the "second father" to a young Bruce, I missed some of the simple and understated style of actor who has portrayed the role in all the previous films. Liam Neison plays his roles well, though the limited number of scenes we see him in don't really unravel a great deal about his character. Lastly, but not least we have Morgan Freeman. Now this is one of those roles that seems well suited to Morgan Freeman's light hearted style with a sense of snap and wit. As Lucius Fox he plays a character seemingly tossed aside and buried in a useless department of Wayne Enterprises. His banter with Bale has a great amount of chemistry and should the series continue I hope that the two actor will continue to have scenes the likes of Begins.

Overall I was entertained by the film but I didn't feel as bowled over as a lot of reviewers. Bale's performance as Batman left me feeling things were off kilter. If he reprises the role for future films in the franchise I hope he develops into something more like the cool, calculated Keaton Batman. I would not however change Bale's characterization of Bruce Wayne. I think he's got that down more so than Kilmer or Clooney before him. I give Batman Begins a 8/10. It shows a great deal of promise to revitalize a franchise that had been practically driven to the ground. Who knows, perhaps in a few years we'll see Batman Continues.