Batman Begins is awesome

Holy cow!  Batman Begins far exceeded my expectations.  Well, maybe my expectations were low to begin with after the last 3 movies.  But still, this was truly the best movie I’ve seen in years.

Finally, we have a batman movie that allows Alfred to have a real personality with real emotions, and not just some machine-like “Whatever you say, master” reflexes.  And we have a totally convincing version of Wayne’s parents’ murder – one where we can completely agree why Bruce feels the way he feels.

And I loved how they did the special effects – just the right amount to make you inch a little further back in your seat.  At one point I thought, “Am I watching a Batman movie or a horror movie?”

For the first time ever I think, I’ll agree with the critics – the casting for Bruce’s childhood friend / Assistant DA was way off.  I liked her as the college friend, but she just didn’t work as an Assistant DA.  She seemed just way too young still and fragile to play such a role.  Instead of forcing the “could they have been an item?” card, they should have kept it simple with a “brother – sister” relationship.  That I could have truly bought, allowing the scene when Bruce explained what he did when Alfred confronted him about the nightly news to be even more morally compounded.