Batman Reborn

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2008)

If you hadn't caught on to the fact that the success of superhero movies lately has been because of origin stories, then this film's title should have rung the bell. "Batman Begins" is all about Bruce Wayne: the man, the mystery, the legend and dives straight into the heart of one of comics' most infamous crime-fighters. It's exactly what a lover of the modern superhero film could hope for. Not only that, but this total rebirth of the Batman franchise is actually preferable to the original two films. While those films may have a place in your heart, trust me that "Batman Begins" will make you shun half the original films, deny their existence, and insist that Christopher Nolan direct 3 more--which he very well could.
"Batman Begins" is essentially a character study of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale). Bale's version of the Caped Crusader is excellent. He's tough, ruthless, gutsy, gets down both the playboy and the hero and is also somewhat mysterious and feels hard to crack. The film's first 45 minutes are all about telling his story--the death of his parents and an incident with bats-- which fuels his anger as he trains to fight his fears and develop the martial arts skills that being Batman will require of him. The rest of the film is Wayne's return to Gotham City to become Batman and try and save a corrupt city.
I don't want to get too much into the plot other than to say it's of classic superhero diabolical nature. Some might be let down that the film's lens is so firmly fixed on Wayne, it doesn't permit for a strong antagonist. It's not as much about the bad guys themselves, but what they stand for and how they clash with Bruce's morals and ideology. To be blunt, "Batman Begins" is relentless with its thematics, constantly pushing the themes of overcoming fear, crusading for justice and making a difference all while staying true to one's self. The focal point of an overwhelming percentage of the dialogue is on getting these themes across. As much as that is the case, I can gladly say that nearly all of it feels natural and not awkward, which is impressive. It is simply so common that Nolan makes it part of the film's feel.
Don't hear me wrong, "Begins" is loaded with action and gadgets and has the distinct feel of a comic adaptation. It even has enough one-liners and "this time the joke's on you" lines to make you giddy, but it all relates back so flawlessly to the themes, which is really where this film does its best work. Next to that, Nolan imagines an excellent Gotham City that feels both very real and very comic-like.
My only real beef with the film is the weak link in its all-star cast chain: Katie Holmes. She's so hard to believe and 90% of those lines that do feel cheesy come from her. I think it's something to do with her really tight cheeks. A performance worthy of noting on the other end is Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. He's excellent at doing both the real and the very characterized acting.
Anyone who was skeptical of such a quick rebirth of this franchise will be more than pleasantly surprised by this film. This has the potential to be an incredible franchise by the time Nolan and Warner Bros. are done with it--perhaps one of the best superhero franchises of all time. Its combination of both the real and comic book universe has infinite entertainment and overall quality potential.