Rewatched Batman Begins the other day.

[Deleted]

Was wanting to also do Dark Knight but HBO Max removed it before I could and I don't feel like digging out the DVD for it. Maybe later for it and Rises, I dunno.

It was interesting to go back to. Largely the same opinion I had on it before - mostly very good, very schmaltzy, for being so anti-killing Bruce kills a f***ton of people, action scenes universally suck, Bruce comes off like a total idiot for not taking Scarecrow the slightest bit seriously when he mentions Ra's - but it is kind of weird just how much of a product of its time the movie feels like looking back at it now. It's kind of making all of these moves to tone down and justify all the crazy Batman shit to the point that that whole process is a gigantic chunk of what the movie is focused on and there's really very little plot besides that.

Also for as much as they lay it on with the, "You still haven't given up on me," "And I never will," exchange, you'd have think when it came time to write Dark Knight Rises they'd have remembered it.

[Clutchhausen]

My favorite Batman film. I love origin stories.

[The Thread Barbi]

I think this was the strongest of the Nolan trilogy.

Take away Heath Ledger from Dark Knight and it's not really a better movie in terms of pacing.

[Ultimo Gallos]

I feel the same way about it I did after seeing it opening weekend...f*** another origin story.

Out of the Nolan trilogy the only one I bother watching anymore is TDK. Batman Begins just drags for me. And DKR...just isn't good.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

I remember seeing it opening weekend and being glad that they more or less stuck the landing after everyone was so turned off by Batman and Robin. 15 years ago? Man. I'm getting old.

[Wilfred]

Probably my favorite origin story out of the superhero movies I’ve seen. I love all the training and his conversations with a Fox showing off all the Wayne Tech all the way up to when he becomes Batman. Great movie.

[CMPunkyBrewster]

I know I'm in an extreme minority in this but...I don't really like any of the Nolan Batman movies.

The biggest issue for me is that I firmly believe that Christian Bale is THE absolute WORST Batman there has ever been and may ever be.

He made Bruce Wayne come off as both an idiot and an asshole, and his *growlgrowl I AM THE NIGHT growlgrowl* Batman voice isn't intimidating, it's f***ing hilarious.

And I'll be the one who says it: Ledger's Joker was ok, but not even close to great. His look was fantastic, but his performance was just good. The role would have largely been looked over if not for his passing.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Dec 1, 2020 10:12:11 GMT -5 Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story said:

I remember seeing it opening weekend and being glad that they more or less stuck the landing after everyone was so turned off by Batman and Robin. 15 years ago? Man. I'm getting old.

Yeah, this at the time was hailed as Batman’s big cinematic turnaround. In retrospect I kinda enjoy B&R for how dumb it is, but BB helped people who didn’t care for the last Schumacher film take him seriously again.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Loved it at the time coming off of B&R. I was so hyped and happy they had cast Christian Bale, who was a lot of people’s top pick to play Bats for at least a couple of years.

I can still watch it these days if it’s playing. I like how it feels personal and quaint (like most old comic book stuff) compared to more superhero stuff these days.

[cosmo]

The initial teaser for Batman Begins is still one of my favorite trailers of all time...

This played in front of Halle Berry's Catwoman movie when I saw it in theaters, and I remember thinking to myself, "How f***ing awful is your movie when a trailer for another movie that doesn't come out until next year is the best part of it?"

[A Platypus Rave]

Dec 1, 2020 10:07:14 GMT -5 Ultimo Gallos said:

I feel the same way about it I did after seeing it opening weekend...f*** another origin story.

Out of the Nolan trilogy the only one I bother watching anymore is TDK. Batman Begins just drags for me. And DKR...just isn't good.

Yeah, this is generally how I felt about the Nolan trilogy too... I found Begins kinda boring.

It was OK... but as you said it seemed to drag at parts.

[Hit Girl]

It's a good movie with the exception of Rachel Dawes, who I hate as a character.

[xCompackx]

Batman Begins is definitely the best of the trilogy for me. I love The Dark Knight, but they should've waited on Dent becoming Two Face for the third film (the scarred face reveal was perfect for a end credits scene).

Rises still sucks.

[James Fabiano]

Dec 1, 2020 11:37:41 GMT -5 Clash, Never a Meter Maid said:

Dec 1, 2020 10:12:11 GMT -5 Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story said:

I remember seeing it opening weekend and being glad that they more or less stuck the landing after everyone was so turned off by Batman and Robin. 15 years ago? Man. I'm getting old.

Yeah, this at the time was hailed as Batman’s big cinematic turnaround. In retrospect I kinda enjoy B&R for how dumb it is, but BB helped people who didn’t care for the last Schumacher film take him seriously again.

Not only that, but it came right after Revenge of the Sith, which while being the best prequel, was still A PREQUEL. So seeing BB made me very happy at the time.

Now? Like others here, my feelings are mixed. About this and the Nolanverse in general.

First, I've matured such that I don't take most "bad" movies about my favorite superheroes as personal attacks. I can watch and laugh at the Schumacher films and enjoy the memes and cheesiness. Kinda like I do with the Van Damme Street Fighter movie.

Similarly, when the Nolan films were out, there was a group that attempted to be confrontational by saying the Burton films were better. Again, I was on a high from what satisfied me at the time, and this was the time Tim Burton continued into his mode of laziness so I got involved in said confrontations. I now appreciate the Burton films for what they were, even though it was Tim Burton's Batman as opposed to the comics version, the TAS version, etc. etc.

On that topic, the Nolan version of Batman is not perfect. They tried to shoehorn in the no-killing rule though Bats (unintentionally or otherwise) is lethal in the movie at times. Also, "I don't have to save you." That is all.

Batman wants Gotham to NOT need him some day? That's not the Bats I know.

The realistic tone = no proper Ra's. Oh yeah, it's RAYSH not RAZZ!

Yes, THE VOICE. Can we just bring in Kevin Conroy to dub in the voice of every live action Bruce/Batman?

Ledger Joker is what it is. It's not the theatrical fourth-wall breaking funny man, but has enough elements to be true to the character. But I will say I don't like how that portrayal unofficially ruled that EVERY Joker has to be darker and more gritty. Nicholson mostly did a good job with a live action comics Joker.

And of course the success of TDK led to WB/DC believing in....THE SNYDERVERSE.

YES, Two-Face should have been TDKR villain. Just as big a waste as sticking in Venom into Spider-Man 3 (where he also appeared then died).

Still not enough detective work!! Batman is not just a mindless action hero, unless it's Crazy Steve.

TDKR we can go on all day about (I didn't think it as odious as other people do), but they rushed The Dark Knight Returns elements into it, among other things. It's like they forgot about the police chasing Batman angle that TDK teased. Spider-Man: Far From Home kinda does this, with Aunt May suddenly being cool that Peter is Spider-Man.

Now, was Rachel Dawes really a bad character, or like me, were we in "sick of Holmes/Cruise" mode at the time?

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Kind of surprised at the sentiment looking back on TDK. Still think that’s the bar or damn near at the top.

Rises still sucks. Hardy as Bane is fun lol.

[Kevin Hamilton]

All of the Nolan movies are pretty great, even Rises as flawed as it is.

Do people acting like they're unassailable masterpieces go over board? Sure, but the movies themselves are great.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

TBH, BvS and the animated Killing Joke are maybe the two BatMovies that are truly hard for me to get through. Most of the others, I can find something to enjoy about them.

Dark Knight 08, Batman 89 and Phantasm are probably my favorites, with Lego Batman, 66, Returns and Begins in the second tier. Rises is alright, I just wanted a bit more Batsuit action, and Hardy is the best part of the movie.

The Schumachers are silly, but colorful and not at all boring. Joker has an interesting lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix, but the movie isn’t as deep as it thinks it is.

Suicide Squad is generally dumb and a little dull at points, but I’ve seen worse, and I liked about 1/3 of Justice League.

[Deleted]

I'm in this weird position where I like Batman Forever but I just find Batman & Robin unwatchable. Maybe it'd be better if I revisited it since it's been a few years but last time I watched it I just found it incredibly dull any time Freeze wasn't onscreen.

[A Platypus Rave]

Dec 2, 2020 14:15:56 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

I'm in this weird position where I like Batman Forever but I just find Batman & Robin unwatchable. Maybe it'd be better if I revisited it since it's been a few years but last time I watched it I just found it incredibly dull any time Freeze wasn't onscreen.

I've said it before I really enjoy Forever... the only real negative mark I have on the film is Two Face... I think Tommy Lee Jones could have played him well... but he needed to be more of the straight man to Riddler's Gorshin antics.

and as I've also said flipping the coin multiple times to get the result he wants kinda defeats the purpose of the coin gimmick >->


Also people mentioning Dent should have been in The Dark Knight Rises... well... that was the original idea... but in the filming of The Dark Knight, Nolan was on the fence of making a third movie (and it wasn't garaunteed to be one)

so he put the two scripts he had together they never said the exact split but The Dark Knight was originally just going to have Joker and Harvey.


Which is one of the reasons why Rises is as flawed a movie storywise as it is... because it was not as refined as the other two. Which had at least been worked on since the beginning...

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Part of the reason I was so blown away by Dark Knight is I thought this one sucked.

I thought it was too long, very brown, had a boring villain, monotonous and I hate origin stories especially for someone as famous as f***ing Batman.