Movies: Batman Begins

Awesome. Definitely better than the all the other Batman movies. This movie is no kids' movie either. The movie is less about Batman's crimefighting adventures and more about Bruce Wayne's journey from being a angry, confused rich orphan to the billionaire playboy/costumed vigilante popularized by the earlier films.

The movie captures the essence of Batman's character perfectly. It's all about fear -- Bruce overcoming his fear of bats and eventually turning that fear into a symbol to strike terror into the hearts of criminals. The Batman here is nowhere near Joel Schumacher's colorful crusader, or Adam West's *Biff*Pow*Sock* type of action. This Batman is a true dark knight, striking from the shadows, unseen, terrifying. I can just imagine the rumors rippling through the underworld during the movie: the Batman is a terrifying monster; he can fly; he can command bats; he is darkness incarnate.

The two villains that appear in the movie - Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow - complement the general fear and deception theme of the movie. Jim Gordon's character is great, although it's a bit weird for me to see Gary Oldman in the role. As for Katie Holmes, well, her character didn't seem to have an important enough role from my point of view. Michael Kaine is a worthy Alfred Pennyworth, and this Alfred seems a bit more smartass than those that appeared in the earlier movies.

All in all, worth the watch. The tantalizing hint at the end of the movie suggests a sequel, but the question is, who will play the Joker?

Also, we watched in the new cinemas at SM North. Nice, everything seems a lot roomier and the seats were comfy. I didn't get to see what the comfort rooms were like as the movie had me glued to my seat.