"This years Batman Begins is the Batman-movie I've been waiting for and hoping for: it's one of the years best films!" I agree from my heart with this line.
I Think that Christian Bale Is Amazing Portraying Batman, then All the Other Actors Before Him, Like George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, and also Last But Not Least, The Late, Great, and Legendary Adam West (R.I.P).
I wish Gene Siskel was alive to see this movie. His passion for movies often made him come across as snide. But really he was a movie lover like the rest of us except he held movie makers to a high standard.
Plus he never liked violence in movies, which I understand with unnecessary violence but he even ignored when movies were violent to speak out against violence.
@@nicholas4727 Gene liked a lot of violent movies if they were done well. His review of Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer is proof of that. He also changed his mind on a lot of movies he gave thumbs down on, like Taxi Driver.
In Ebert's review of Batman Forever, he specifically said Batman should be the most interesting character in the story but the movies were doing a poor job of developing him. He lived long enough to see his complaint resolved in the Nolan trilogy.
@@anirudhmenon4234 He was in Batman Begins. He was overwhelmed in Dark Knight by Joker and Two-Face. In DKR, he was the most interesting by default, because none of the others were very interesting.
How much I love the first 2 Batman films and have a special place in my heart for Batman forever but they did focus more on the villains. Nolan’s Batman was all about Bruce Wayne’s story and it was perfect
Ebert in his review of Batman Forever: "Batman is the most fascinating and mysterious of all the comic book super heroes. He deserves more and better." Looks like he got his wish.
Loved this review. Really miss Siskel and Ebert. I grew up with those guys. Didn't always agree with them, but always wanted to hear their opinions. This movie still ranks as one of the greatest hero films of all time.
There is something about Batman Begins (not present in Dark Knight or Rises) that makes it feel the closest anyone's ever come to recreating that sense of Spielbergian adventure. This movie felt like an Indiana Jones adventure for a new generation. In contrast, Dark Knight felt like an epic Michael Mann crime thriller for a new generation, and Rises (my personal favorite of the three) felt like the biggest futuristic, dystopian action flick John Carpenter never made.
@@GeorgeSmiley2023 I remember being excited to see that, because his martial arts training in the Far East was introduced in a comic book story line I had read around 1990 which Sam Hamm, the screenwriter of 1989 Batman, wrote for DC Comics after that movie came out.
I've watched this video countless times. What a time to be a Batman fan and an average movie goer. Where there wasn't social media and all the noise of if you liked a movie or not. I miss Gene. I miss Roger. I miss these times. I was blessed to have experienced them for the short time I did.
I'm glad Ebert at least got to see the dawn of the Comic Book Movie era, but I've always regretted he and Siskel weren't around tor review all the MCU movies and the DCU and Joker, etc, it would've been fun to see which ones they liked and which they didn't
Roger reviewed the entire phase 1 of MCU. He only disliked Thor and Incredible Hulk. He just missed the start of the DCEU. He liked all 3 Nolan Batman films and Watchmen but besides those had not given a good review to a live-action DC Comics movie since Swamp Thing in 1982.
If you've seen reviews before, the only Batman film Roger liked was *Mask of the Phantasm* as the others didn't get into Batman's psyche and he felt like a supporting character in his own movie
A lot of shows and franchises that just keep going endlessly tend to run into that issue. The villain of the week takes precedence over the actual main character! Roger is correct to point it out, it's only gotten worse recently.
@@cbalan777 Right there with you. I think Batman Begins had that perfect blend of the more grounded, realistic approach Nolan was going for, but also still felt like a comic book movie, and had a sense of fun to it that the sequels lacked imo. I also like that Gotham City had a little more personality in Batman Begins. Things like the narrows and train system along with some of the other additions they made to the skyline gave it a more unique appearance. Fast forward to The Dark Knight and it just looked like Chicago, or any generic U.S. city. Gotham itself should always have some personality imo. You don't have to go as far as Burton/Schumacher with the gothic/art deco styles, but it should have some other features/architecture to help it stand apart from real life cities.
@@ChuckM0503 Yeah, I always thought it was odd how Gotham lost so much character between the first and second movie. It's almost like it becomes too real. Like a reaction to the Burton/Schumacher style.
@@cbalan777 I think part of the reason is Nolan maybe had more freedom to go with his own sensibilities for the sequels. BB was his first big budget movie so he may have been more inclined to collaborate with others. Namely David Goyer who was the comic book expert, and may have had a little more influence for that first movie.
@@cryojudgement2376 I Agree. It's better than The Dark Knight. The Joker makes that a great movie. Batman Begins lacks an enemy on the level of The Dark Knight, but has a more engaging and ironically DARKer atmosphere and storyline.
Best Batman movie ever made by far, hands down also first Batman movie got the story correct, it's so well-done & wonderful cast. I totally enjoyed the film & DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY. Christian bale is the best Batman since Michael keaton. Thumbs up....Way up 👍👍🌟🌟🌟🌟
this is just a great movie that "happens" to be about Batman...and, it leaves you with the feeling that this person could actually exist...i was blown away by this movie when i first saw it...
This was the first Batman film that actually go into what make Batman ticks, what are his motives and why he does this. It is a great and most effective film thanks to Chis Nolan.
I remember when I saw “ Batman Begins “ in the theater and was blown away by it . Most recently I rewatched all of the “ Batman “ films and I still am . Now I was impressed by “ The Batman “ but this is a better origin film imo .
I understand why people do say this one is the best one, and I think it's truly excellent but I really love The Dark Knight. It's my favorite movie now.
I actually met Richard Roeper at a downtown Chicago bar/club at a school reunion. We sat down he bought me a beer and we discussed Superman films. It was cool. Nice person. He did not go to school with me but that was the event I was at, at the time.
I was wishing they would not make a sequel. I knew that if this one made money they would, but I was concerned they would mess up a masterpiece. Of course, The Dark Knight was great, and I thought The Dark Knight Rises was quite good, so my concerns were inappropriate, but there it is.
@@SolarDragon007 I think they made this a trilogy so it functioned as a trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises was a quality send-off for THIS Batman. Given that Batman Begins was such an awesome movie and really the best version of Batman then to have an even better 'sequel' or really just another installment of Batman in the Dark Knight, having to top these two was a gargantuan job. The Dark Knight Rises was not as good as the other two but it was a solid movie to finish the trilogy.
@@billyboblillybob344 I disagree. These films were never advertised as a "trilogy" until Dark Knight Rises. I also think Dark Knight Rises completely misses the point of Dark Knight's ending and abandons all the themes/ideas that film was building to.
@@SolarDragon007 I certainly agree that they were never advertised as a trilogy. I think at the time, the Dark Knight Rises was serving as a close out to Christian Bales' Batman and so it became a "trilogy"...really just three installments where there is no over arching story across the three films but they are the passage of time in the life of Batman. You'd have to elaborate a bit on the themes/ideas part in my opinion. It seems that there is plenty to talk about with each movie that doesn't necessarily translate to any of the others, in my opinion.
@@SolarDragon007 What? The ending of The Dark Knight was Not a permanent solution to their problem. Christopher Nolan absolutely intentionally set himself up for a sequel even if that wasn't immediately confirmed. And The Dark Knight rises keeps a lot of the same themes and ideas from the movies prior. The Batman was supposed to be a symbol and robins taking the mantle. Bruce Wayne sacrificed his old life and the batman identity because he was long done fighting and now someone else will be that symbol. I have no problem with you disliking the movie at all art is subjective but I am baffled if you blame it on the movie is tone or themes being off because they're not.
Would've loved to see Ebert trash the Snyder stuff. Would've also loved to have seen Ebert's fair take on the MCU. Not buying in to the nerd shit, and completely impartially giving each movie an honest appraisal.
I'm so glad one of them got to see the new Batman series movies. I just really wish they both could have seen Dark Knight. I think it would have blown them away like it did the rest of us.
Batman Begins is the ULTIMATE and AMAZING example of a reboot. It's the ONLY example to be frank. This is one of the films that changed cinema just like The Matrix, Godfather and several others. Studios can reboot their films all they want. They will NEVER get it right like Batman Begins.
Frank Smith Huge downgrade. Ego between Warner Brothers, DC and the filmmakers is what made the film get a really bad rap despite the film being successful at the box office. Same thing with Justice League. I absolutely enjoyed some parts of BvS but the film seemed out of place and you can tell right away that it was.
@@AlbertV90 Snyder had complete freedom on BVS, except for the mandate to cut the running time for theatrical. The extended cut is his film totally free of any and all studio interference. And I love the movie. It's very different from Batman Begins as a story much later in Batman's life after he had lost some of his faith in his mission. But it does mirror Nolan's conflicted Bruce almost shooting Joe Chill at the courthouse. It's a powerful and unique exploration of his character.
He probably would've enjoyed Justice League like he did X Men Last Stand. But Man of Steel would've been a depressing experience for him. He hated 300 and Superman Returns.
Wrong, BVS was also about Bruce Wayne like this movie was. He would've been impressed at how they delved into his character and tested his morality by taking him to the edge. He also would have liked the philosophical exploration of the meaning of superheroes. The theatrical JL, he would not have liked.
Ebert was spot-on with this movie, apart from 0:37. I disagree that this is the first Batman Movie to get it right, I love the Michael Keaton & Tim Burton Batman Movies.
I was in awe of this film myself. But this isn't just the fifth Batman film. And... even Ebert who voted against all the live-action films that preceded this one, enjoyed PHANTASM.
It's too bad Nolan doesn't believe in surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS X....Or I would have double-dipped and bought this trilogy again on 4k BluRay. A shame. It is maybe the best superhero films short of the original Superman with Christopher Reeves.
Nah this movie has subpar action and writing. And Rachel is an awful character when played by katie holmes. Just my opinion. The Dark Knight had such intelligent writing and the way the joker turns people morally into the opposite of what they strive to be. The Dark Knight just as way more enticing to me.
Roeper was as good a replacement for Siskel as you could get, but jesus christ, EVERY statement he made started with him interrupting Roger. It’s maddening. Gene and Roger interrupted when they contested or elaborated eachother’s points, but otherwise let eachother finish their piece. Richard just did it out of habit.
Not really. He said he never read Watchmen when the movie came out. Ebert certainly read comics and other adventure stories as a kid so he probably read Batman back then but not into the modern era.
I must be the only Batman fan ever he hated Nolen's interpretation. This was a Batman who was more traumatized by falling into a hole of bats, then he was with the death of his parents.
This movie was a much darker more serious film than Batman and Robin. The Tim Burton films started out as dark and serious but eventually got too much into CGI effects and goofy writing.
Lol I remember leaving the theater thinking son of a bitch you could actually be batman they just showed the blueprint still think this is the best batman movie
Best batman movie by far Roeper? It is forgotten in 2019. When people remember batman movies there are only 2: The original Michael Keaton Batman and Bale's Batman: The Dark Knight. This movie faded away after that one was released.
0:41 Fifth Batman movie, there are many feature film of the caped crusader in general, but this is the fifth one distributed by WB Pictures (not counting the Catwoman movie).
And fast forward to 2021 where warner brothers follow up to this is one piece of abject crap after another. Roger I wish you were here with us to set the DCEU straight.
Lol, another example of Ebert having the complete opposite opinion to mine. They couldn’t have got Batman more wrong in this film (which admittedly was well made and well acted).
