Batman Begins

I remember really liking this film when it came out. I don’t know why I didn’t buy it right away but that did allow me to buy these Batman films on Blu-ray. I enjoy some of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films because they are fun to watch. The Christopher Nolan franchise is fun however in a much more serious way and “Batman Begins” does a good job of telling the mostly untold story of how the Caped Crusader came to be. There are many great elements in this film such as Nolan’s direction because for the first time, Gotham becomes a realistic city. The Oscar-nominated cinematography was a contributor to this realism. The story is well told because we are exposed to the psychology and themes of Batman more so than ever before. When I first saw the list of actors in this film on the movie poster, it is what excited me the most. Yes, they are big stars but they are also good actors. The “Harry Potter” films did the same thing at the time with their cast members. The film is dark but fun. Gone is the camp but as long as we have the other movies from the 60’s and 90’s, we don’t need it. That's not to say the movie doesn't make you chuckle and what's more important is that it will make you cheer.

We know from the comics and from earlier films how Bruce Wayne started on the path of heroism but we haven’t seen everything about how Batman comes into being. I like how Bruce is filled with guilt and not just anger over the death of his parents. He never really grows up in that he lets his emotions rule him and others have too much influence over him. He tries to kill Chill and then Falcone gives him the idea of running away from his fame & fortune to understand desperate criminals. Ra’s al Ghul becomes his mentor, teaching him how to use his fear and guilt. Bruce during his training however is still following others until he is ordered to kill the farmer/murderer. His refusal to become an executioner is the moment when the boy Bruce becomes a man because he is thinking for himself. He has combined his compassion that he learned from his friends & parents with his self-mastery & training that he obtained from the League of Shadows. He is his own man and not what others would have him be. Bruce was willing to kill Chill so why will he not kill the farmer? I believe that his time in the criminal world has made him pity the criminals insomuch that he will fight against them but not kill them. A hero/character to me is defined in part by his wardrobe. Without it, he is incomplete as far as we, the audience, are concerned. Anakin fully becomes Darth Vader only when the helmet is put on him and the kid in the wrestling cage wearing the Halloween costume is not yet the web-slinger that we know & love. In “Batman Begins” when the Dark Knight introduces himself to Falcone, that is when the man has become the “Batman”. As with any good story, a hero must fall and pick himself back up. We also see this in "Superman" with the kryptonite and later in "Captain America" when his best friend dies. Another classical element of an origin story of a superhero is when two friends become pitted against each other. This movie creates originality because a student turns against his teacher when the student realizes that he is hanging out with the wrong crowd. This story of the creation of Batman has many other entertaining parts also. I love how Batman is clearly identified as a hero and not just a vigilante by the scene when he is ordered to kill the criminal farmer. Compassion is important to a hero; otherwise Batman would appear more like a criminal such as those in the League of Shadows. Another fun part of the movie is the usual scene in this kind of film where the hero ironically makes fun of his alter ego. Alejandro on “The Mask of Zorro” did it and so does Bruce Wayne in the hotel. Christian Bale's performance is the best part of that scene. The story follows the usual superhero story format that we saw for the first time in “Superman” but it is original because of Nolan’s direction. Thanks to Bale and Nolan, Batman is no longer a guy in a funny suit with gadgets but rather a dangerous crime fighter.

I love the cast in this film because of their talent. They realize their purpose in this story very well. My favourite Batman actor of all time is Christian Bale with Val Kilmer in second place. I had seen maybe one or two of Bale's movies before this but did not notice him. After "Batman Begins", I never forgot him. To be a good Batman, you must become a different person when you don the costume. Both Bale and Kilmer did well with that where Michael Keaton fell short and George Clooney failed. Bale’s voice as Batman fits the costume and we believe his acting as he journeys from boy to hero. I loved Michael Gough as Alfred in the previous films but if there was anyone that could take his place in Wayne Manor, it was Michael Caine. Initially, I thought that Caine’s persona from other works of his would make it hard for me to accept him as the new Alfred but I was wrong. Liam Neeson plays a good teacher and mentor, as I knew he would. He also did a good job as a formidable villain. Gary Oldman can never ruin a role and I believed him as a cop. I liked Tom Wilkinson in “The Patriot” and he did well in this film too. Morgan Freeman can’t be overlooked either. As mentioned before, these are big names. But more than that, they are a talented bunch that makes us believe that Gotham is a real city. Also, this film introduced me to Ken Watanabe.

My favorite experience watching this film was in preparation for its sequel while I was finishing university. My roommate had not seen "Batman Begins" and the next day, I would see “The Dark Knight” in IMAX. Once this first film ended, the first thing my roommate said was: “And I don’t have tickets for tomorrow?” All of us there laughed as how he now understood why everyone was so excited for the sequel. It is one of the best endings of a film that leads into a sequel that I have ever seen. Other examples include the final shot in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and the ending of "Back to the Future: Part II". Another great experience I had watching "Batman Begins" was on the big screen once again in a special screening days before I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" for the first time. The exploration of the psychology and ideals of Batman are what makes the story of this first movie very entertaining as well as the cast. Christopher Nolan’s direction is how all these elements work well together. This is my third favorite comic book film after its successor and "The Avengers". Some day, I may upgrade its rating to five stars. One thing that would be a cool addition just before the end credits of this movie would be Heath Ledger’s voice saying “And here we…go.”

4.5 Stars