Batman Begins (includes trailer)
July 19th 2010 14:37
Well well, wasn’t this the surprise of the 2005 summer films. I don’t remember any big anticipation around the release of Batman Begins, all I know is that word of mouth started to spread around how Christopher Nolan (writer/director of ‘Momento’ and ‘Insomnia’) finally got Batman right – who knew it would ever happen. Released to critical praise, Batman Begins, is a film that finally captures the true essence of Bob Kane’s character – sometimes known as the Caped Crusader, often known as the Dark Night, and always known as Batman. After several actors and directors had their take on the adaptation of this comic book, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, here in his break out role out following a string of brilliant performances in indie films (I’m Not There, The Machinist, Velvet Goldmine), finally nailed the spirit of the comic book. Batman Begins is as close to perfect as you can get and is the best comic book adaptation since Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie.
Digging deep into the core of the Batman origin story, told like never before, Batman Begins is an authentically gritty and slow burning thriller of masterfully darkened proportions. It plants the seed of Bruce Wayne’s character (Christian Bale) who would become eventually become - Batman. We begin the film to find Bruce Wayne, billionaire and heir to Wayne Enterprises, far away, in the depths of Asia, living with criminals, isolated from anyone he knows and now presumed dead. Wayne is a tortured soul looking to go on a quest to conquer his fear and seal up unhealable wounds, emotionally and psychologically. There is something nagging at Bruce Wayne, an inexplicable pain and yearning to do away with all criminals who would hurt others. This desire, spawned from anger and guilt over witnessing his parents murder, cannot be fully realized until he has transcended his own fear.
He goes under the wing of a father figure and vigilante, named Ducard, played by Liam Neeson (The Mission, Gangs Of New York, Schindler’s List) who trains him in over coming his limitations and truly learning to strike fear into the hearts of criminals who prey on the weak. Bruce returns home to Gotham City, looking to become a larger than life symbol, a vigilante, intending on cleaning up this city that has become a corrupt, unlawful wasteland and when this happens he begins a journey that will open up old wounds as fear becomes the main theme of this film and Gotham city nearly tears itself apart. Only after an hour into this 150 minute smouldering character action piece do we finally see Bruce Wayne don the Batman costume. It’s a build up that’s brilliant and masterful. By the time the Caped Crusader begins striking fear into the heart of murderers and convicts, we already have an immaculate origin story that has unfolded which herald’s Batman’s eventual arrival at an operatic pitch. The look is menacing yet sleek, mysterious yet iconic as the Batman Begins fully realizes and fulfils all of it’s themes and comes full circle in it’s character arcs.
Batman Begins, being a comic adaptation of an unrealistic concept, dares to finally take form in a realistic context, taking the serious under currents of it’s source material's intent and graciously translating it in just that manner. Obviously, if it was treated too seriously then the main character would land up on a psychiatrists couch in a heart beat, therefore the character’s are treated as archetypes and have a series of preset emotions and psychological profiles. In all of this there is an almost Shakespearian style that the story plays itself out to. Batman Begin’s has a grand design - the pieces are set up to a pain staking, and precise point and the bigger picture reveals itself with relish and focus. There’s not so much a pay off of fun further on in, as much as there is the witnessing of character’s yearnings finally transforming into actions, finally acting on what they’ve fought for, all at a price too. Batman Begins is one carefully, well thought out film.
The film is an example of all the right elements being in place. Chris Nolan, as a director, approaches the material like any of his other psychologically scorching, intense films, and then executes the scenes like a theatre production that continues to scale further heights. Each element is perfect, from the rich script and story to the fully fleshed out characters which the film allows you the time to invest in. The immaculate cinematography and rousing musical score gives the film a coat of flawlessness - emotional, brutal, dark and beautiful. Batman Begins is a hard film to fault. Like ‘Superman: The Movie’, Batman Begins boasts a regal selection of accomplished and respected thespians, giving the film an air of prestige. The cast aside from Christian Bale and Liam Neeson, also includes Michael Cane (Get Carter, Harry Brown, Alfie), Morgan Freeman (Se7en, Gone Baby Gone, Invictus), Gary Oldman (Hannibal, Sid And Nancy, The Fifth Element), Tom Wilkinson (Snatch, In The Bedroom, Michael Clayton), Rutger Hauer (Turkish Delight, Sin City, Blade Runner), Ken Wantanabe (Inception, Letters To Iwo Jima, Memoirs Of A Geisha), Cillian Murphy (The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Red Eye, The Dark Night) who all are fantastic, having a lot of fun with their performances. The only actor that annoyed me was Katie Holmes, who wasn’t terrible either, I just didn’t think she was particularly good and every time she opened her mouth she came across as annoying and preachy.
Perfectly paced and ambitious in scope, Batman Begins is one of the best comic adaptations ever made. While there are the odd clichés scattered around the film, many times they land up working and never offending the films stimulating approach to it’s story telling. Technically perfect, Batman Begins is finally the result of every Batman fan’s dream come true. Slowly building to great heights, it sets a masterful standard for the comic book film genre and depending on whether you want a more contemplative, brooding film like Batman Begins or a more intense and thrilling pay off like it’s sequel The Dark Night, that’s just a matter of taste, both films are unmatched and are comic book action masterpieces.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Obviously I liked this one a lot. Loved the early training scenes and seeing how the Bat got his combat and stealth skills.
Fantastic script, great pacing and well framed cinematography.
Certainly a great comic book film but so much more too. Bale is great as the Bat and Cillian Murphy was quality as Scarecrow. Oldman disppears into Gordon and most all the cast raise the bar.