Why Do We Fall?

Rating: 9/10 (11 October 2013)

This is one of many memorable quotes from 'Batman Begins', yet it also serves as a message to the Batman film series as a whole. What started promising in the late 80s and early 90s soon became cartoon crap, with no characters to care for. Does anyone want to remember 'Batman and Robin'? No? I thought not. But alas I do not wish to remind you further so moving on
Maybe I should thank that film, as after eight years it provided a perfect reason to reboot the series and start afresh. A film which promises the origin story of Batman, Tim Burton never gave us this, only a fleeting look at Bruce Wayne's parent's death. But boy, rest assured this film delivers on so many levels and is definitely worth the extra long wait.
The film starts with Bruce Wayne locked up in a prison, the reason for this being that he fights criminals head on. Here he meets Henri Ducard (a spectacular performance by Liam Neeson) who introduces him to Ra's Al Ghul the leader of the league of shadows. Bruce Wayne is trained in the art of their ways, but refusing to kill comes into conflict with them. Here he returns to Gotham and eventually becomes the masked vigilante known as Batman. It is up to him to defeat the Scarecrow and rid Gotham of the corruption that has spread – from judges to cops.
One of the most important aspects of Begins is that it takes it's time to get us to understand each character's motives and morals. This is a Batman film in which we actually care about Bruce Wayne. Christian Bale does a perfect job in mastering the two personas of his character, without making him cheesy. There are a handful of fine performances so Gary Oldman's Jim Gordon cannot be missed out as well as Michael Caine's Alfred.
The musical score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is powerful, dramatic stuff and never comes across as over the top or annoying. Zimmer has the bombastic beats for Batman, whereas Howard puts emphasis on the drama and Bruce Wayne's love for Rachael Dawes (Katie Holmes).
This film truly is a miracle with Christopher Nolan doing a top notch job of directing and of giving us a quality Batman film that never loses its pace. Every scene is meaningful and there is not a bore in sight. This is also the first Batman to feature the Scarecrow and he sure is scary on screen, by saving the joker for the next one, Nolan does not fall into the trap which Burton did in 1989 and thankfully Batman is not overshadowed by the villain.
Most importantly though all the set pieces are a joy to watch and this much cannot be said for half of Hollywood's franchises. A blockbuster film usually compromises action over drama or vice versa e.g. 'Hulk' being the latter. But we always feel the emotions of Wayne and never forget that there is a human inside the suit after all. Nolan gets it right and his daring and the cast and crews pays off.
Verdict: This is a perfect start to Batman, showing daring and confidence. This should be the template for any comic book or action film. Nothing is out of place and the visuals provided by Wally Pfister are astounding, showing a haunted Batman. Never has any movie as big as this been thrilling, exciting and tear jerking all at the same time. Everyone on board deserves a pat on the back and a place in movie making history for reviving a fledging franchise and putting Batman back on top. Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.