Batman Begins

[mamadeb]

I think - I'm not sure, but I think this movie was not aimed towards me. It was aimed towards my husband - the person who has a bit more familiarity with the Bat Mythos than the average person, as opposed to someone who is. Not quite obsessed, but - okay, almost obsessed. :)

Example - he had no problems with Katie Holmes' character being there. "There has to be a love interest." But there are so many people who they could have had - my choice would have been Talia Head, but Silver St. John or Sascha Bordeaux would have worked, too. Or Kathy Kane, even. I understand why Selina and Vickie Vale would be out. (And, yeah, fine. I would have preferred Harvey Dent anyway - leave him to be Two-Face in the sequel, make it more powerful.) There was no need for a new character there.

Speaking of Talia - I knew immediately who R'as Al Ghul was because with that name, he couldn't be Asian. And because I know the mythos. Bruce training with R'as may not have been canon, but I didn't actually mind it, because it does fit fairly well.

I liked the "Prince of Gotham" bit because he *is*. And that's the real love affair,and why Bruce can fill his life with friends and adopted sons and daughters, but not a lover of either sex.

I also liked that Bruce went to Princeton. Think he met Lex there?

And now I understand why there was so much Jonathan Crane stuff last summer - Cillian Murphy is very, very pretty. He's not cadeverous enough for Scarecrow - Scarecrow is very tall and skinny - but so very pretty, and again, if I didn't know who Scarecrow was, I wouldn't care.

Michael Caine, as Alfred, rules. But that would be a given.

Except what's with the "Master Wayne" business? Alfred calls him "Master Bruce" unless he's worried or angry or both, in which case it's "Bruce." He called Thomas that, too. I could be wrong here, but I'd think it would be either Master Firstname or Mr. Lastname (Dr. Lastname in Thomas's case.) It just felt off.

Morgan Freeman was Lucius.

Not as cool a car as I've seen.

Fun movie, though.

Comments

[cara-chapel.livejournal.com]

Christian Bale!Bruce/Liam Neeson!R'as OMG.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

And Alfred/Lucius Fox.

"Always a pleasure."

[byandby.livejournal.com]

I really liked movie. Christian Bale was fantastic. Actually, the whole cast was fantastic, though I still am not a big Katie Holmes fan. IMO, it was the best Batman movie to date.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Talia Head would have complicated the plot a *lot*. However, I do hope they make another movie with her as a character, and get a decent actor to play her.

Katie Holmes was the weakest of the cast, and even if you go with the idea she was playing a role that was basically Harvey Dent, she still wasn't interesting.

[indigocat.livejournal.com]

I also liked that Bruce went to Princeton. Think he met Lex there?

In my corner of the universe, Bruce and Lex are the same age and friends. Smallville takes place while Bruce is missing. I imagine Bruce getting a phone call from Lex giving Bruce a hard time for burning down Wayne Manor.

titles and names

[chaos-wrangler.livejournal.com]

Except what's with the "Master Wayne" business? Alfred calls him "Master Bruce" unless he's worried or angry or both, in which case it's "Bruce." He called Thomas that, too. I could be wrong here, but I'd think it would be either Master Firstname or Mr. Lastname (Dr. Lastname in Thomas's case.) It just felt off.

I wasn't paying attention to this in the movie, but in real life "Master/Miss Firstname" is for children and "Mr./Mrs./Dr. Lastname" is for grownups - my brothers & I got birthday cards addressed that way from my rather proper grandparents (and still get from grandma, only now I'm "Mrs. HisFirstname Lastname" *g*). It's possible that Bruce would always be "Master Bruce" to Alfred given that (a) Alfred's been looking after him his whole life and (b) in both their minds "Mister Wayne" is reserved for Bruce's dad. Perhaps "Master Wayne" is a compromise of sorts between "Master Bruce" and "Mister Wayne"?

[ginamariewade.livejournal.com]

But the part where Alfred wakes him up and his gorgeous torso is covered in bruises?

I so wanted to kiss the boo boos and make them better.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

It was a good movie, no question. Was it better than the Michael Keaton Batman? I don't know. They're so very different.

Absolutly better than the sequels to that one, though.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

That was the problem. She was a standard issue Idealistic DA - she could have been on Law and Order and not changed her character.

But to see a *good* Talia would be amazing. She has to be played by someone who is more than just beautiful, though.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

In mine (story living in there), Lex knew Bruce in either boarding school or college, and knew how intense he was, and therefore that something was off - the "playboy" is not in character.

And one meeting and he'd *know*.

Re: titles and names

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

The problem with that is that Bruce's father was a surgeon. He'd have been "Dr. Wayne." Also, Alfred called *him* Master Wayne.

And, of course, titles given by servants to employers follow different rules than social titles.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, yes. :)

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was exactly the problem with Holmes' character -- there was nothing that made her interesting, and why wasn't she Harvey Dent, who could have fulfilled that role *and* lent a frission of 'ooo, we know him!' for the fans.

Is Katie Holmes beautiful? She just struck me as skinny -- as if she'd been cast to look waiflike and unthreatening.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Katie Holmes is pretty enough, but I wasn't referring to her.

I was thinking that any actor chosen to play Talia would have to be beautiful just by definition, but should have more than that.

I'm wrong.

She needs to be played by...well, she's too old now, but Angelica Huston - that sort of type.

[byandby.livejournal.com]

I liked Michael Keaton. He did an excellent job as Batman, but in terms of Bruce Wayne, I never quite believed him to be the playboy.

And definitely better than any of the sequels.

[indigocat.livejournal.com]

And if Lex and Clark are together at the time, Lex would be giving him tips on handling two identies.