It's cool isn't it Dav. It more than made up for the crushing disappointment that was Revenge of the Sith.

I agree that Burton's attempts seem a little dated now. What I liked most about the new one (and in my opinion, the only real Batman movie) is that it has finally shed the campness which has plagued the story since the sixties comedy TV series. The director, for once, knew his stuff.

JB

Totally wax. I agree with all of that save the Revenge of the Sith, which I thought was fantastic too, but like you say this eliminates the campness that these things often suffer from, Star Wars included!

Batman Begins is a class above everything else I've seen this year.

Revenge of the Sith was a good film, granted, but had more holes in it than a machine gun riddled sheet. It also dipped into moments of excruciating slush. The last third (apart from Yoda telling Obi Wan he'd arranged a 'commune' with Qui Gonn Jinn - Yipee!) was near perfection.

Vader's ridiculous noooooooooooo was a massive and unneccesary overstatement, and the return to seventies uniforms at the end was pure comedy.

So, 9/10 for entertainment value, 2/10 for sloppy writing and 4/10 for acting ability then.

Batman get's a 10/10 all round.

JB

<Added>

Hey, just to let you know, my review of Batman has just been selected as a winning review on the BBC Collective website. I've won a CD! Holy smoke Robin!

Congrats Bat Boy!

Adele.

Thank god you didn't say Batty Boy!

Excellent news! Hearty Congratulations!

BBC Collective website? I'll check it out.

Sheila

<Added>

I found it, joined, and uploaded my review of Ong-Bak. What a very good resource, particularly the page where you enter the name of a film you want to see and your region and it brings up cinemas with a map of how to get there plus screening times!

BBC Collective is a top site, really informative and up to date with modern culture.

The forums there are really lively too, and get wonderfully heated. I'm particularly enjoying upsetting vegetarians at the moment.

JB

Best. Batman. Ever.

I agree that 'Batman Begins' is unquestionably an improvement on its predecessors (not that that was difficult) but I would question why the film seems to be at pains to explain everything that makes Batman what he is - perhaps some of Batman's enigma might have been preserved.

At the end of the day, the comic strip genre is escapist anyway - we never questioned that Batman could do all the stuff he does, we don't need it to be rationalised.

Tim B

My biggest disappointment was no Robin!

Sheila

I think the rationisation is part of what made the film as good as it is. The exploration into Wayne's desire for revenge and how he got to be Batman was the entire point! Not in a 'cartoony' way, but in a very realistic and humanist one.The comics have come a long way since the 50's and their two-dimensional reasons for everything. The new film is a reflection of modern Batman. Batman is a man, not a superhero. The explanation supports the character marvellously.

Robin (and Batgirl) came a bit later than the time period the film is covering. I'm sure we'll see him reappear once Chris Nolan embarks on the next one (Christian Bale is rumoured to have signed up for a three movie deal).

JB

Did I mention that my Ong-bak reveiw on the BBC Collective site won a CD? I've also uploaded a review of 'War of the Worlds' - not favourable, I'm afraid. I've forgotten how to upload a review here. Can you remind me?

Sheila