Batman Begins!
Originally uploaded by Mishaone.

I suppose I'll start off by praising Christopher Nolan for getting the movie right. I've never been much of a Batman fan, but I enjoyed this movie and I think it's safe to say that the woefully mishandled Batman franchise is on its way to being restored.

The movie, overall, is great. Just the right blend of humour, darkness and history to keep the movie going and the viewers interested. The casting, I'm happy to say, was fantastic. I had my doubts about Christian Bale as Batman, but he pulls off both billionarie playboy Bruce Wayne as well as the iconic Batman with equal ease... except for the voice. Now I agree with the fact that a superhero has to alter his voice, especially if he hopes to strike fear into the hearts of the criminal element, but the low, raspy, overdone voice used by Bale as the caped crusader breaks the spell on several occasions. Did nobody else notice this while shooting? Did Nolan not bother to pull the actor aside and tell him that less is more?

Aside from that, I was a bit worried, I'll admit, about Katie Holmes. Everything about her screamed teenager to me, and I was half expecting to be looking out for Dawson to pop in from the corner during the movie. However, she does a pretty good job, I must admit.

My personal favorites are Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine. Both are very enjoyable, especially since Michael Caine lapses back into his cockney accent, so rarely called for in his movies.

I have, of course, saved the best bit for last: the Batmobile! Te Batmobile in this version is the single coolest vehicle I have ever seen in my life, a combination of a monster truck and a tank that can do 100 MPR and possibly faster. Now THAT would come in truly handy when you're stuck in a traffic jam! :)

All in all, a very good movie, although I doubt I'd be watching more than once, but a great step towards getting the Batman franchise back it used to be: right below the Superman franchise. :P (Abid, are you listening?)