Batman Begins...just as we wanted it to

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2005)

Co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman
I can now understand what David Goyer has been saving his energy for. After the calamitous mistake that was Blade: Trinity, he has teamed up with Memento helmsman Christopher Nolan to try and bring us the definitive tale of Batman's origins. Probably even the definitive Batman collection. And if the latter is the case, then it has got off to a very promising start.
We begin with a young Bruce Wayne watching his parents' murder in an alleyway. His quest for vengeance eventually lands him in a Far East prison, where Bruce (now played by Christian Bale) is rescued and recruited in the art of self-defense by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). He then makes the decision to return to a decaying Gotham City (even more so than the one Tim Burton envisioned), and finds his beloved family business, Wayne Enterprises, now under the corrupt corporate control of Earle (Rutger Hauer). This helps spur him on to create his famous crime-fighting alter-ego, with the help of family friend Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).
This re-imagination of Batman appears to be taking its cues from several previous comic book adventures. It combines the fun of Spider-Man, the dark style of Tim Burton's Batman movies, the intelligence of X-Men and the tragic elements of The Hulk. However, The Hulk played itself so straight that it failed to grasp the enjoyment factor so crucial to comic book films. Nolan doesn't make the same mistake as Ang Lee did, carefully sprinkling humour throughout and generally investing the right amount of time on characters. Where the Spider-Man and X-Men films lacked depth and ambition, Batman Begins is certainly not found wanting in those areas. It takes a gifted director to juggle the best elements of all the aforementioned films and yet still make everything seem fresh. But Nolan has somehow done it.
As a bonus, Batman Begins is not an overly violent film, as Sin City was. While it contains its share of gripping action sequences, the film never lets us forget the consequences of its characters' actions, on both sides of the coin. An aura of realism and gloom surrounds the whole picture. Again, credit goes to Nolan here.
The villainous plot, set in motion by The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) is silly (as with most comic book films), but is carried off with the right element of gusto and believability. There are a couple of things that let the film down a little, however; a couple of characters could have been better developed, and why was there so much quick-cutting in a key chase? But those are minor quibbles.
Nolan seems aware that his script is not enough to carry the work, and so he has assembled an incredible cast. The top-billed names aren't just stars, they are genuinely gifted actors. Christian Bale had the most expectations on his shoulders before the film, but he brings out more depth in Bruce Wayne than any Batman in the Burton/Schumacher era. His is the most human and vulnerable, although the vulnerability almost flies out the window when he dons the Batsuit. (Speaking of which, fans, just wait until you see the gadgets...)
As Bruce's childhood friend/love interest, Katie Holmes plays on the adorability factor that she's acquired from TV and previous movies. Liam Neeson, as always, is excellent, and in some ways acts against type here. Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman also act against type, though Oldman is more successful than Murphy. While I never saw a terrorist lurking behind the glasses of Oldman's Lieutenant Gordon, it was slightly harder for me to accept the more "everyman" Murphy as a bad-to-the-bone villain. Nevertheless, he just about pulls it off. Everyone else, including Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson and Michael Caine, is solid, with Caine getting a chance to enjoy some fine moments, comedic or otherwise.
At last, the Joel Schumacher abominations can be laid to rest and this franchise can start anew. There will probably be better, more serious films than this one in 2005, but it will take one heck of a comic book adaptation to top this one.
Rating: 9/10