Creation of a Legend

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2009)

Though this is very likely forever going to be overshadowed by its epic sequel, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins is nevertheless a masterpiece in itself. It is the film which rescued the Batman franchise from the campiness and superficiality that had all but destroyed it after Joel Schumacher's dismal Batman and Robin and redefined and reinterpreted this iconic character for a new generation, by telling a story which had thus far seldom been coherently and completely told outside of the comics canon: the origin of the Batman. While at its core, the story is a simple and tragic tale of a young boy, forever scarred emotionally by the brutal murder of his parents, who is motivated to fight a relentless war against injustice in order to rid a city of the evil which claimed his parents life; there are greater dimensions to the story which Christopher Nolan has done a superb job of representing on the silver screen in a most compelling manner.
The primary appeal of the story lies in its psychological depth. Unlike previous superhero outings which relied primarily on plot and action, Nolan has chosen to centre both of these around the psychological development of the protagonist, Bruce Wayne (played to perfection by Christian Bale). This movie is as much about Bruce's emotional and spiritual journey from a traumatized young orphan, to an aggressive young man disillusioned with the justice system, to the aimless wanderer seeking a means to fight injustice and haunted by his childhood demons and finally to a determined and focused man who has mastered his skills and fears and is prepared to begin his war against injustice; as much as it is about the story of how Bruce puts on the cape and cowl. It is under the tutelage of Ducard (Liam Nelson) that Bruce Wayne learns to conquer his own fear and by doing so manipulate the fears in others. Returning to Gotham and resuming his public life as a billionaire playboy and socialite, Wayne secretly goes about his task of constructing an alternate identity, a symbol that shall forever remain incorruptible and indestructible and shall strike terror into the hearts of the criminal underworld. Before long, with assistance and moral support from his faithful butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) an old friend of his father's and a skilled scientist and engineer and Sergeant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), one of the few untainted officers of the Gotham City police force, Bruce unleashes upon the city's corrupt underbelly his alter ego: Batman, and succeeds in single-handedly bringing down its biggest crime lord. But soon, Gotham's mysterious new vigilante finds himself facing his first great challenge-of saving the city from an enemy who has also learnt to manipulate the fears in others, through more insidious means...
Bale's performance as both Bruce Wayne and Batman is par excellence. Bale portrays Batman as being not merely a man in a suit, but rather a force of nature unto himself, completely distinct from albeit wielded by Bruce Wayne. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman play their parts well enough and Katie Holmes does a fair job as Bruce's childhood friend and love interest Rachel Dawes. Liam Nelson's character is a far more sympathetic villain than previous 'Batman baddies' in the films, being, like Bruce, a man committed to fighting injustice, albeit in more extreme ways. His actions act as a counterpoint to Batman's strict moral code of refraining from lethal action.
With an excellent musical score and eye-popping (albeit moderately realistic) action, Batman Begins is undoubtedly a fait accompli which can never be underestimated no matter how successful any sequels it has spawned are or will bee...