‘Batman Begins’: How The Caped Crusader Came to Be
Batman and Robin is now watchable for me. Yes, it’s true. Because of Batman Begins I can now actually enjoy watching the Joel Schumacher directed catastrophe that starred George Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Now before I am inundated with hate mail and death threats let me explain. For years I could not watch Batman and Robin whenever it came on television. I could watch parts of it and cringe but that was it. It was too painful. It was the last Batman movie to be made in (what seemed like) a long while and it was completely and utterly awful, almost as if the filmmakers went out of their way to neuter and defile one of the great pulp characters of the last century.
This was the latest installment of Batman that came to the big screen and it was embarrassing to watch, even when I was completely alone. It was almost physically painful for me. Now, however, thanks to Batman Begins, I can watch Batman and Robin and take it for what it is.
I can laugh at the ridiculous one-liners and chuckle at the colorful, outlandish sets. I can enjoy the horrible and acting and one-dimensional characters.
I can do these things because Batman Begins is the complete opposite of all this. It’s the movie that Tim Burton’s first Batman (though it was enjoyable) should have been. Therefore, with this near perfect big screen take on The Dark Knight, I can watch Batman and Robin from beginning to end and smile, knowing that it just doesn’t count anymore.
Batman Begins does just what the title says. It begins Batman’s journey. It also starts from scratch. It doesn’t have anything to do with the other four movies. This is the story of who Batman is and how he came to be finally told with skill and respect on the big screen.
It’s an origin story. We’ve seen these before of course. The hero’s story is told from the beginning and the basic history is covered. The Superman and Spider-Man movies both did it. This movie, however, goes beyond that.
The iconic elements of the story are all there: young Bruce falling into the cave, his mother’s pearl necklace, his parents getting shot in a back alley after leaving a theater. However, they seem fresh because of the additions to the story that surround them and give them new resonance (with the exception of the pearls).
Once Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed he doesn’t instantly decide that he will become Batman. He fights his guilt and anger as he grows up, slowly coming to the decision that he makes by suffering through his pain. What was once a simple reason for Bruce Wayne to grow up and become a crime fighter is now a fully fleshed out series of occurrences that shape the man he grows up to be. He makes many mistakes along the way.
This is the first Batman movie that actually makes Batman himself scary, which is the way it should be. His first appearance in full costume is when he takes out mob boss Carmine Falcone and his thugs on a dock at Gotham harbor. The scene is shot like a monster movie, with Batman as the monster. We see it from the criminal’s point of view as he picks them off one by one.
The theme of fear is prominent throughout the movie, beginning with Bruce’s own fears and continuing as he begins to use fear on his enemies. The villains use fear as well, resulting in a clash of both methods, which are eerily similar yet ultimately different, in the climax. Other themes such as growth and identity are explored, with some sociology and psychology thrown into the mix. This is a smart Batman movie with depth.
The acting is superb. I was a little worried when I heard that they were surrounding Christian Bale, the actor who plays BruceWayne/Batman, with such high caliber actors as Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, etc. Bale is a good actor, but I thought he might be overshadowed by so many big name stars. Thankfully, this is not the case. All of the supporting actors serve their purpose and none of them overdo it. Bale is the star.
In fact, I knew that Bale was perfect for the role but even I was surprised by what he did with it. He not only carried the movie, he lifted it up over his head and did military presses with it. He’s that good in it. He convincingly portrayed the three sides of the character, the Batman, the brooding Bruce Wayne and the spoiled millionaire playboy persona that he uses to fool people.
He’s the best Bruce Wayne/Batman ever put on screen and that includes Michael Keaton, who did an admirable job in the first Batman but ultimately wasn’t suited for the role.
Another worry of mine was the casting of Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Rachel is a new character created for this movie and I was highly suspicious that she was created as a one-dimensional love interest for Bruce.
She is a love interest but she’s also so much more. As Bruce’s childhood friend her character actually plays a major role in the shaping of Bruce’s moral compass and I was highly relieved. It works. She even gives a speech at the end that emphasizes the tragic nature of Bruce’s character. While Holmes wouldn’t have been my first choice to cast in the role she does an adequate job and she’s light years ahead of Kim Basinger.
As for the rest of the supporting players none of them disappoint. Liam Neeson plays a good dark mentor. His Ducard is nasty and intimidating and it’s a welcome change from the usual good guy characters that he plays. Morgan Freeman can almost do no wrong. There is only one performance of his that I do not like (which I won’t mention) and this is not it. As Lucius Fox he spouts the impossibly scientific dialogue with ease. His “memo” line at the end kills. Michael Caine owns the Alfred role now.
He brings the right amount of humor and parent-like worry to the role. The friendship and banter between Alfred and Bruce has never been this good (in the movies at least). Even though Caine doesn’t look like the ideal Alfred I can’t imagine anyone else playing him now.
Gary Oldman looks like he was ripped straight from the pages of Batman: Year One. He’s virtually unrecognizable as Jim Gordon. If I didn’t know it was him I’d probably say “Who was that guy who played Gordon?” He effortlessly plays one of the few good cops in Gotham City. I actually would have liked Gordon to be a little more fleshed out but that’s not Oldman’s fault. There’s only so much time to work with in a two hour movie that features so many characters.
Other supporting roles include Cillian Murphy, who plays the deliciously creepy Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and Tom Wilkinson, who gives mob boss Carmine Falcone a great New York style accent. Ken Watanabe makes the most out of his short screen time as Ras’ Al Ghul and he does an excellent job with it.
Now for the nit picks. The end climax seems a little too over the top for my taste. It strays into clich�© territory with the hero and the main villain duking it out on an out of control elevated train. Most of the hand to hand fight scenes are also not handled very well. They are shot with the camera much too close, which makes it hard to understand the fight choreography.
I would rather they pull the camera back a few feet so I could see what’s going on. I understand that this might have been a creative decision. A way to further emphasize Batman’s ability to confuse his opponents. But early fight scenes, before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, are done the same way, which takes away from the point of doing it with the Batman fights. Though these things are so minor to me that they barely register in an otherwise excellent movie. The things they got right far outweigh any missteps.
The movie actually offers one of the most engaging plots I’ve seen in a movie in a while. It’s filled with twists and turns that are enjoyable and elevate the movie even more. The ending leaves it open for the inevitable sequel, especially with the appearance of the calling card of the most famous Batman villain (If you can’t guess who it is you shouldn’t be reading this review).
I say as long as they bring director Christopher Nolan, screenwriter David Goyer and all of the principle cast back to do more great work then bring on the sequels. For now I’ll sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that the movie gods have finally done The Dark Knight justice on the big screen.
