Movie Reviews: Batman Begins & Land of the Dead

Batman Begins

Initially, one would think that a masterpiece like Tim Burton & Michael Keaton's Batman should never have been attempted again. Furthermore, the only crime that would be more heinous would be to pursue a path that was walked similarly by Batman Returns (Tim Burton's only totally "Bad" movie), Batman Forever (this time Joel Shumacher & Val Kilmer), and the oh-so-atrocious Batman & Robin (Joel Shumacher, George Cloony, and Chris O'Donnell). Luckily, Christopher Nolan takes us on a much different journey -- a pathway into a much more evil, angry, and vindictive man bent on vigilante justice.

Many of us associate Gotham with Metropolis; in other words, New York. However, Nolan brings Gotham to a dark, damp, musty, futuristic Chicago.

We all know the story, Bruce Wayne's parents are killed when he is really young (around 8 or 10) and it pushes his psyche into a free-fall that turns him into a dark knight with superhuman fight moves and dazzling acrobatics. However, Batman has no super powers; he is just a man with a mission and some great gadgets. But do you know where he learned to fight, how he can think like a criminal so efficiently, how he built the Batcave, and what was Alfred real purpose in Young Master Wayne's life.

Batman Begins stars an unlikely but perfectly cast Christian Bale as a young man who knows something has to be done to save his beloved city; but what? The answer to that question comes in the form of Ducard (Liam Neeson). Along the way Bale finds resources in the likes of genius inventor Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and undaunting compassion and encouragement from Alfred (Another unlikely casting choice, Michael Caine). Batman also finds a friend in a young police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman).

The weakest link in this movie is the one person who's getting all the hype; Katie Holmes. It seems that Dawson's Creek doesn't prepare you for the real world of acting. She plays the damsel in distress with all the gumption of an overcooked piece of asparagus -- limp, smelly, and unappealing. Personally, I would've rather seen the volleyball from Cast Away in this role.

Overall this movie exceed my expectations. Bale, Caine, Freeman, and Oldman were all so good in this movie it overshadowed the mediocrity of Holmes. The movie was well filmed, answered a lot of lingering Batman questions, and kept flowing from beginning to end. However, without giving anything away, I think the last two minutes of the movie was a really bad idea. We'll see if I prove to be right.

Land of the dead

I should start off by saying that I am not usually a big fan of horror/zombie movies. Not that I don't like them, I am just not what you would call a connoisseur of the genre.

George A Romero's fourth installment in a series that started off as a film school project was releases nearly 40 year after the original Night of the Living Dead. Land of the Dead finds a group of still-living humans defending one of the last cities thought to be impenetrable by the worlds flesh-eating zombies. True to the original (as opposed to the recent remake of Dawn of the Dead) these undead are slow and unintelligent; or are they?

Although most of the cast is filled with relative unknowns, there are two big names is supporting roles. Cholo (John Leguizamo) is a defender of the city who is looking to get out of the action and into the plush hotel for the rich in the center of the city. And Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), the proprietor of the cushy hotel and only rich man left around.

Although I am not that big into Romero's as some people are, I was absolutely impressed with the stylistic nature of the movie. It was scary, funny, suspenseful and interesting. The plot moved well, the characters were developed (as well as could be expected in a Zombie movie anyway), and the script waste too cheesy. The gore factor was high, but really well done -- I think even the squeamish could appreciate the creativity it takes to come up with so many ways to rip a person apart!

BATMAN BEGINS GETS (4/5) * * * *

LAND OF THE DEAD GETS (3.5/5) * * * 1/2