If ever there was an actor made for a role, it has to be Christian Bale for Batman. I remember having seen movies and telseries in addition
to the comics that we read about Batman all during my childhood. The movies never were anything more than cartoonish and the villains specially The Joker were nothing but that, a joker. The feats of Batman were nothing to talk about; in fact the poor fellow never even had any super powers! As compared to all his peers, like Superman, Hulk, He-man, and Ironman etc he always seemed the most nondescript hero.
But all that changed when Christopher Nolan directed the new series of Batman movies with “Batman Begins”. As he himself said he would change the way people approached the subject of Batman, and truly did in that first attempt. Batman no longer appeared like some comic book superhero. He was strong, fast, very very well trained, with all recourses that money can buy, intellect, excellent gadgets and electronic backup. And all of a sudden Batman started appearing to be the best of the Superheroes.
Now this time around when he came to the second of the Batman series, Director and Producer Nolan had far more previous experience to count on. And has he put it to good use! What he has dished out here is one of the finest action and superhero movies of the current times. From the cast performances, the special effects, the action sequences, the gadgets and most importantly the plot and treatment of the story are all super. Not one minute into the theatre will you feel a slackening of pace. The movie is built beautifully right upto its climax.
The Cast and Performances
I’ve not seen an actor fit so well into a character as Christian Bale has fitted into the role of Batman. Whether it’s as the masked cape wielding crime fighter or the billionaire businessman Bruce Wayne, Bale does it with élan. He is truly Batman personified. It’s a fit similar to that of Sean Connery in the James Bond series. He has just the perfect combination of arrogance, romance, and vulnerability, to go with his lovely gait, beautifully built muscles with not too much bulk, tremendous face expressions, et al. Tremendous portrayal of the character of Batman on the whole.
Michael Cane plays the role of Batman’s butler. One of his most trusted aides, and confidante’ he is always like the father figure.
Whatever I may have said about Cane’s portrayal, but the cake in the film has been taken by “The Joker”. Heath Ledger as the(in) famous joker does a role well worthy of an Oscar. He plays the psychopath killer with a mind that’s unsound in many ways but also very cunning and scheming to the extent that hardly anyone can read into it. The death of real life Ledger, just after completing shooting for the film has added to the drama and built a certain veil of awe around the character he plays. Having been abused by his father in his childhood and also having seen his mother being abused, turns him into a psycho character that does not care about his life and derives pleasure from sadistic treatment of humans. In fact this is the first time that the joker has looked venomous and dangerous. In all other movies he has at best been portrayed as a comic villain. Ledger will be talked about for a longtime for his this last role.
Aaron Eckhart has played Harvey Dent, the District Attorney of Gotham city. He too has given a very good account of himself. Not only does he have a strong role as the unrelenting and duty bound DA, he also is currently dating Batman’s’ ex girlfriend. One whom Batman has never really got over. So that places the two of them in a somewhat rivals position, even though they are both fighting crime and sometimes also collaborating doing it.
Maggie Gylanhaal replaces the beautiful Katy Holmes as Batman’s love interest this time around. She really does not have too much of a role to talk about and I think the producers should consider bringing back Katie for this role the next time around.
The Gismos and Action
Now however well someone may act, like I’ve said before, a superhero movie is never complete without the gismos and action. And there are plenty of them too here. And the action, well that’s literally nonstop. Starting from the new and improved version of the Batman suit, to the Bat mobile, the Bat pod, the technology, the R&D centre of Wayne Enterprises, computers and technology providing sonar vision to Batman, all to be seen to be believed.
The Plot
The first movie in the series “Batman Begins” had dealt about the way Bruce Wayne’s parents had been killed, and how he had then undertaken to wipe out crime from the city of Gotham. It had mostly dealt with his training phase and his taking over of the Wayne Empire.
This one picks up from where that one had left and does not dwell into the background again at all. In fact the movie is very fast paced right from the start and keeps the viewers glued to their seats all the time. I will not reveal the plot in its entirety here, but will surely tell that this time around there is more than one hero in the city. The love triangle of Batman, his ex girlfriend and her new date, the DA Harvey Dent is very well handled here and has added substance to the plot without being a distraction to it.
The joker has been portrayed as the main villain here and he takes on the mob and the authorities both at the same time. As I have said earlier, his acting is par excellence.
Conclusion
It’s an absolute must see movie for all the superhero fans. Bale has done for Batman what Michael Keaton could never do. When he was once advised to learn his and Batman’s limits, he remarks, Batman HAS no limits.
True to that he has really pushed all limits. As a superhero who does not have any superpowers, and only relies on his physical prowess, his martial arts training, his intellect, his huge wealth, his gismos and technology driven Bat mobile and Pod, massive R&D backup of Wayne Enterprises, and his faithful chef manning his Bat Mansion.
Don’t even leave an iota of chance of missing this one. Go get a ticket NOW!