Tis one was tough for me to review. On some level, I think that it's the best Batman film. On another, I think that it has some parts where it drags (at least to me), but then I can't really think of anyway that those particular scenes aren't necessary.
For starters, I didn't really care for the beginning. I mean, Bruce Wayne starting off in jail didn't exactly bode well for me. I mean, a billionaire playboy in jail? Especially when in the previous films he's always been so put together, it was odd to see him in such an unkempt manner. However, it worked well for the film and served it's purpose in creating a newer, harder version of Bruce Wayne. I also wasn't particularly thrilled with the ninja scenes. To me, they dragged, but I'm sure most will disagree with me. And again, I think it works for the film and it finally gives us an explanation of a billionaire is so agile and tough.
The Gotham scenes were good, these are the scenes that I really enjoyed. To me, they were much more "Batman-esque" than the Ra's Al Ghul scenes in the beginning were. The film definitely picked up during those scenes.
As far as performances go, I thought that Christian Bale gave a very solid performance. Probably now my favorite actor to play Batman. My only problem is that his face is far to distinct. He has a pointier chin than most men, and that to me would set him apart, making his identity easier to uncover. But, the mask he wears does help with that, as the whole costume has much edgier features.
Morgan Freeman probably gave my second favorite performance of the film. But I love him, and I would go see a movie of him reading the dictionary I love his voice so much. I thought that he certainly added a level of humor to film, and I felt he was well written (well, as well written as a side character could be).
Cillian Murphy is always creepy, and I loved this version of the Scarecrow. I thought he was a better villain than Ra's Al Ghul (sorry if I keep messing his name up). I am curious to see if he will be reappearing in the sequels. I certainly enjoyed his character, but I wonder how he would fit in with the Joker, Two-Face, and any other villain they decide to bring in, as he is really not all that famous.
Michael Cane was a good Alfred, although it is still odd to me to have such a big star as a butler. I don't know, I guess I'm just used to Michael Gough being him. Katie "I'm With Crazy" Holmes I thought gave an ok performance. Not horrible, but not something that I thought was great. I am sort of glad that she is being replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, an actress who I like a little more (although I'd still prefer Rachel McAdams, who was supposedly considered for the role).
The only performance I was disappointed with was Gary Oldman's Gordon. His lines were just delivered with too much naivety. I understand his character was an idealistic cop stuck in the real world with crooked cops, but his performance just didn't come across as very real to me.
Overall, I like the world that Nolan had created. I think it's also a very smart move to use villains that the audience had never seen before, instead of instantly rehashing characters like the Joker or Penguin. That way, on the first film, audiences wouldn't be comparing actor's portrayal of a certain villain or (as the case is with the new sequel) refusing to see it because they feel that only a certain actor can play that part. And in case the film was a flop and they never made a sequel, audiences would at least see that Batman did go on to fight the Joker in another fight.
Since I have viewed the film again, I found that it grew on me more than the first time I watched it. I still found things that I didn't care for, but overall I must admit that it was a good, solid film. 8/10.
