Change Your Image
rpw_03
Reviews
City of Scars (2010)
Brave and bold attempt at an independent film in the shadow of a multi-million dollar franchise.
Being a fan of the Batman films and cartoons since I was a boy, I was happy to find a new chapter in the on-going saga. There is no sense comparing this to Nolan's work, or indeed any of the films, and it has a very different feel to the cartoons. So where does it fit in?
This short piece (and one of my biggest disappointments is that the end credits filled 6 of the 30 minutes of the feature) is a glimpse in to the conscience and psyche of our famed hero. Being a short piece the pacing is key and here it does well, the scene is set and the arc of the story works well over the running time.
The direction the whole is not bad and there are some great shots. However the steady-cam or perhaps just plain hand-held crowd scenes and other action scenes throughout are just a little to shaky (Paul Greengrass on too much coffee anyone?).
The score was good, as was the grading of the film. I really liked the look they have gone for. The choice of materials for his suit harked back to the Adam West TV show, and after the slick carbon looking suit of TDK and BB is a little hard to deal with.
In conclusion most of the performances are fine and move what is an interesting story along nicely, and there are no major issues in my opinion, fans will enjoy it others might be more difficult to please.