Reviews

Saw 'Batman Begins' yesterday and am absolutely over the moon that Christpher Nolan had the balls to go his own way, and make a film which is not afraid to embrace darkness. What a wonderful piece of film-making this is, and I have to call it beautiful because it is a near masterpiece. I wish that like 'Lord of the Rings', they had filmed back-to-back because I feel the same sense of anticipation and need to see the next instalment. The casting is excellent and Christian Bale inhabits his role but does not let it overwhelm him. Michael Keaton never appealed to me, and I actually found Burton's 'Batman' to be a great disappointment. It represents all the hideous excess of the 80s, with too much pop music and self-indulgent performances. In fact, the only duff note in Nolan's film is the music which is overbearing at times, and loud to the point of deafening. I could go on and on and haven't said half of what I want to say, but if you love film you will love this brave and brilliant 'Batman'. This is only the beginning.

It is wonderfully refreshing to see an intelligent adaptation of a well-loved book which manages to be innovative and highly entertaining. I saw the film last week, and after having seen the television adaptation as a child I did not have my fond memories shattered. The eccentricity of the story and characters have remained intact, and the Monty Pythonesque humour has been enhanced with even more surreal flights of fancy. Although funded by the US, this is a very British film and those who are fans of the new Dr Who, League of Gentleman and Little Britain are well catered for here. The film will not appeal to everyone, but those who love the book and intelligent, original comedy will have a fantastic time.