One of the greatest superhero films

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2005)

When "Batman" was made in 1989, the hype was massive. The movie promised a return to the dark Batman of Bob Kane's comics, while still keeping the joking essence of the camp 60's TV series. What followed was an action film that surpassed all expectations. The direction by Tim Burton (of "Bettlejuice" fame) turned out to be a great choice by production company Warnar Bros, Micheal Keaton showed that he could do drama with his witty Batman, Jack Nicholson gave a flamboyant performance of the villain he was born to play, and Danny Elfman made what is arguably his most memorable movie score. It was lively and grand, and was awarded with an Ocsar for pulling it off.
The one's that followed couldn't keep up the same vibrancy. "Returns" was too violent and perverted for its intended audience, "Forever" is a mix of a thousand production problems, and "Batman and Robin" should be wiped from the face of the Earth.
Yet this Batman, now headed by "Memento" director Christopher Nolan, sees a new beginning for Batman, portrayed by Christian Bale. This Batman is a lot like the one in the animated series or the graphic novels, yet you should not get me wrong, this is not a film for children under the age of twelve.
We see Batman (or Bruce Wayne rather) starting out with training in the Himalayas. We see in a series of well-placed flashbacks exactly what makes Batman. Everything, from his father's calming words after being pummeled by bats in an abandoned well, to the psychological training given by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson yet again reprising the "mentor" role) brings out what drives Wayne to dress up as a big bat.
In the second act we meet present-day Gotham. Unlike the shining Gotham that you see in the flashbacks, this Gotham is dirty, polluted, corrupt, and coming apart at the hinges. It's a Gotham that looks like a mixture of South American slums and Modern-Day Chicago (where it was ironically filmed on-location). More specifically, it's a Gotham that needs saving from mysterious forces.
It's Wayne's drive to use his fears against other that is the major theme featured in the film. As he builds his array of weapons and equipment, partially thanks to Lucios Fox (Morgan Freeman), we finally make sense of everything that goes along in the world of Batman. Most of his weapons, his suit, his tank-like Batmobile and his cape (to much amazement) are throw aways from unsuitable war products. As Fox says, commenting on the prototype suit, "No matter how good this is, the Government doesn't believe a human life is worth $300 000 each." All these weapons and gadgets are painted black and come together to form a pure system for batman to hide in darkness, capture, the get away, all without being noticed.
When the battles begin, we see the dark invisible nature of Batman at its finest. The camera moves in coordination with drug-smuggling thugs, seeing flashes of movement behind them. When Batman finally appears he moves swiftly, gracefully yet violently to rid them and them disappears again. It's one of the greater techniques that this "Batman" has over the other films, yet is overused to a point where fight sequences seem muddled and unknowing.
This Batman keeps a consistent feel to itself, and is one of the most truthful comic book adaptations. Bale's performance as the Dark Knight is among the greatest film portrayals of a superhero,where he gets the hero, playboy and especially the psychopath parts of Batman all on target. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets an Oscar nomination for best actor, in the same vein that Jonny Depp got a nomination for his portrayal of Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Liam Neeson (If your confused, I'll just say that a great twist to the story explains it all), Tom Wilkinson (as a mafia kingpin) and Cillian Murphy (as an ecstatic Scarecrow) all do great villains. Micheal Caine gives depth to the role of Alfred, making him a father figure, as well as offering some great humor to lighten the mood. Morgan Freeman has the same effect as Head of the Applied Sciences division of Wayne Enterprises.
The only disappointment was Katie Holmes. She's given the lines to be a great addition to the cast, yet doesn't work with them. Sometimes she even gives off a sly smile at the end of what should be a truly dramatic scene, something only viable if your working with the Monty Python crew. She couldn't support Batman with dramatic effect like Kim Basigner in the original, couldn't take control like Michelle Pfeifer in "Returns," and couldn't be the only person making an effort like Nicole Kidman in "Forever." The only Bat-lover she's really beating in the acting stakes is Elle Macpherson, and anyone can tell you that isn't much of an achievement.
I've always believed in the saying, "If special effects happen all the time, they're not really that special." It's a mistake made by most comic-book films, yet Batman doesn't fall into that gap of modern cinema. Instead, in what is probably the best art direction of a superhero film since the 1989 original, special effects blend into the environment, supporting what is already a realistic view of Batman while giving it the edge only CGI can give it.
Aside from one plot gap (every comic book film has to defy nature somehow), this is probably the most realistic and dramatic superhero film there has been. Easily installing itself with the greats like Superman, the original Batman and the X-men series, the only plausible reason Oscar voters would disregard this great piece of cinema is because its an action film that's apart of a franchise.