NerdBoner Scale - Batman Begins

Steve: Batman Begins is a tough movie to grade because it has all the ingredients for a great movie, but shits the bed after the Bruce Wayne training sequences. The nonsensical and physically impossible (by any universe’s established rules) monorail/subway/train sequence alone knocks 10 points off the movie’s score. Add to that the insanely bad water poisoning plot, the fact that Nolan can’t seem to direct a fight scene without turning off all the lights and the ridiculous bit with the Batmobile running along the rooftops of century-old buildings and the horribly ill conceived romantic subplot is almost unforgivable. 65%

Duncan: The first third or so of Batman Begins is great, gritty pulp, and for a good while you’re convinced this is going to be something special. Then, despite a superb cast and Nolan’s cool, stylish approach, it falls prey to an all-too-typical superhero movie problem: it tries to do too much and becomes a clunky, self-indulgent mess. There are some nice moments here and there, and overall I still think it’s worth watching. But that can’t hide the fact that Nolan cannot direct an action sequence to save his life. 77%

    Pros:

  • Genuinely enjoyed seeing it in the theater.
  • The young Bruce Wayne sequences were genuinely entertaining and well done.
  • Cillian Murphy’s Dr. Crane/Scarecrow was fantastic. Too bad the character was basically a non-starter of a villain.
    Cons:

  • We’re not sure WTF we were smoking/drinking while watching it in the theater.
  • Why does everyone in Hollywood insist on muddying Batman movies up with horrible romantic sub-plots?
  • Nolan’s “action” sequences are dull and lifeless - at least, we think they are. When you shoot them in the dark, it’s kind of hard to tell.
  • The poisoned water supply and climactic train sequences were worthy of the Adam West version of the character.
Movie/TV, Comics