Batman
Begins is a striking rebirth of a franchise that many thought Joel Schumacher
had run into the ground. Though, this new cinematic take on the Caped Crusader
doesn’t have the same tone or visual sense of Tim Burton’s films, this
Batman is still dark around the edges, and is grounded in a kind of realism that's
punctuated by dramatic depth.
The
title says it all. The first half of Batman Begins is essentially a primer course
- Batman 101. As students of the Batman legacy, we are given layer upon layer
of insight into why the wealthy Bruce Wayne becomes the ultimate crime fighter
(including lengthy backstory into his physical and psychological training). This
exposition goes well beyond the details we already know concerning the untimely
death of his parents - a tragic event he witnessed when he was just a boy. Batman
Begins has much more on it’s mind. Why does Wayne choose the bat as his symbol
of justice? When did he first discover the cave that would become his fortress
of solitude? When and where did he first meet Commissioner Gordon? And, of course,
where did he get all of those wonderful toys? These are just a few of the questions
answered in this gloriously entertaining prequel.
The
second half of the picture presents Batman doing what he does best – saving
Gotham from the scum of the earth. The film features some truly original villains,
including ring leader Carmine Falcone (played with devilish glee by In the Bedroom’s
Tom Wilkinson). The primary bad guy in Batman Begins though, is Scarecrow, a terrifying
fan favorite. Psychiatrist Dr. Crane by day and ferocious evil doer by night.
His plan for domination is a bizarre one, but it bristles with originality.
Perhaps
Batman Begins’ strongest attribute is it’s winning performances. Christian
Bale (a terrific actor whom I first took notice of in Steven Spielberg’s
underrated Empire of the Sun) is the perfect fit for Bruce Wayne/Batman. As Wayne,
he exudes a certain charm, but more importantly, we sense that mystery and pain
that ultimately drives him to become the avenging caped crudader. As the Dark
Knight, the actor truly excels. He looks perfect in the suit and even goes so
far as to use a different voice when he’s fighting crime. Quite the intimidating
one I might add. Let’s just say that this is not the Batman of Adam West’s
creation. This version of the time-honored super-hero means business, and he has
no problem offing the occasional bad guy or two. Gary Oldman is subtle and extremely
effective as Jim Gordon, one of the few good cops in Gotham. He has the intelligence
to know what Batman’s motivation is, and ultimately we gain much insight
into how their legendary relationship takes root. Michael Caine is all heart as
loving butler Alfred. His scenes with a young Bruce Wayne are some of the best
of the movie. And as always, Caine has a wonderful sense of humor.
Morgan
Freeman, is sly and commanding as Lucius Fox, the handy man who helps to equip
Batman with some of his finest gadgets. Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) is chilling
but playful as Crane/Scarecrow. While he’s in the film far less than I’d
hoped, he makes the most of every second of screen time. Liam Neeson is sensational
as Ducard, a mentor with a secret. He’s tough and uncompromising, and this
is more in line with what I hoped he’d be in Star Wars Episode I. Finally,
I’d like to mention Tom Wilkinson who, for whatever reason, hasn’t really
been discussed all that much in terms of his involvement in this film. True, he’s
only in Batman Begins for a few scenes, but his presence sets the stage and effectively
introduces us to Gotham nasty underbelly. Rounding out a stellar cast are a tenacious
Katie Holmes, a conniving Rutger Hauer, and a mythic Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai).
Batman
Begins was directed with a sure hand by Christopher Nolan (Memento and Insomnia).
Recognizing that fans were disenchanted...nay, mortified with Batman Forever and
Batman and Robin, Nolan and his outstanding screenwriter David S. Goyer opted
to get back to basics. They’ve stripped away the goofy camp approach that
drowned the last two films. Instead, they’ve delivered a gritty masterpiece
with a real hero in a real, violence-filled world, and the end result is something
that the fans will certainly cherish. Which isn't to suggest that the casual
movie goer won't have a grand time as well.
As
much as I enjoyed this picture, it isn’t perfect. When stacked up against
the last two movies, this one is Citizen Kane, but to call Batman Begins flawless,
wouldn’t be entirely honest. The first half of this picture is outstanding.
It was everything I wanted and hoped it to be. However, the movie does suffer
at times in the second half. I found many of the hand-to-hand combat scenes slightly
muddled. Nolan shoots his action scenes so tight, that at times, it’s hard
to see what the hell is going on. I also found Scarecrow’s dastardly plot
a little underdeveloped. Still, these are minor quibbles, lost as they are in
the grand scheme of things.
Where
superhero pictures are concerned, I wouldn’t quite rank this one up there
with the likes of the first two Superman movies or the spectacular Spiderman 2,
but it is an outstanding achievement, nonetheless and ample proof that the Batman
franchise is far from flat-lined. It’s hard to compare Nolan’s vision
with Burton’s so I’m not going to. I’ll just say that I enjoyed
this movie and as prequel concepts go, it gets it right where the recent Star
Wars series got it wrong (although I did enjoy Episode III). Batman Begins is
a winner, and should go a long way toward easing the movie industry’s much
talked-about financial woes.
