Batman Begins: Warner Brothers's Redemption

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2006)

I have to tell ya, the 50's almost spelled doom for Batman in the comics. As crime stories were replaced with outlandish sci-fi stories. The same happened with Batman in the movies, after Tim Burton turned Batman into nothing more complex then the Punisher and an equally lazy back story for the same character, the Joker was the star of the movie, while Bruce Wayne remained emotionless and stiff and Batman basically operated in a Gotham City that is so bizarre you fail to connect with it(or Batman) on any level. It got worst with Batman Returns where they had penguins and clowns attacking Gotham City, The Penguim reduced to a sewer rat, rather then the sophisticated Mob boss we know in the comics, C-grade romance between Batman and the new villainess Catwoman(but played exceptionally by Michelle Pfeifer) and bizarre sexual innuendo. It got worse when Joel Schumacher turned Batman into a funny guy, turned Gotham City from bizarre to outlandishly cartoony, introduced Bat-nipples and Bat credit cards. After I saw this movie, the first thing that popped into my mind was: Wow! Then I asked: Is this the same company who released Catwoman a couple of months ago? On the stop, I can say this was the best superhero movie of 2005, the best Batman movie and one of the best, if not the best superhero movie of all times. Ignoring the previous continuity of the original Batman films, Chris Nolan and David Goyer decided to re-invent Batman by going back and for the first time recreating the origin story of Batman. The movie tells the tale of one young boy named Bruce Wayne who's afraid of bats, he witnesses the murder of his parents by a small time thug named Joe Chill(just like in the comics), the movie narrates his coming of age and how he decided to become the violent creature of the night Batman. The first of half of the film, is broken down in flashbacks that connect with the overall storyline. In the start of the movie, Bruce is a nameless vagabond who finds himself locked up in a Tibetan prison and out of focus, after getting involved in another prison fight, he gets sent to a private cell, where he is greeted by a man who seems to know his identity, a stranger known as Ducard who works for an underground vigilante group called the League of Shadows who offers Bruce training to become what he's looking for: to be more then just a man. Through the first half of the film we are guided through stages of Bruce's early life. The latter half has Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham to fight the crime and corruption of the city he wishes so much to defend and becoming the Batman, while teaming up with some idealists. The movie delivers as a well-balanced action movie with drama that doesn't feel as awkward as say, Spiderman 2. Bruce Wayne in the movie is someone you care about and his morals and his selflessness goes deeper then your average superhero. Played by Christian Bale(now nobody has an excuse not to know this guy), he channels Bruce's 3 personas with ease and you wonder if he was actually born to play this part. Michael Caine plays Bruce's butler and father figure, Alfred with competence, provides some clever sarcastic humor and connect well with he hero. Gary Oldman plays a different type of character, this time around a good guy, not only does he fit the part, he looks exactly like Jim Gordon. Katie Holmes is competent, but her role is rather disposable but thankfully her romantic involvement with the main character doesn't derail the movie. Morgan Freeman delivers as Wayne's supplier of bad gadgets. Villains in Batman Begins are no longer colorful and competing for most humorous performance and screen time, Cillian Murphy plays an impressive and creepy Scarecrow, who breaths intelligence and cunning without falling into the typical villain stereotype, he's a sick person and filled with corruption, but he has real goals. The same could be said for Ra's Al Ghul who's identity I won't reveal, a terrorist who tries to make a valid point for his actions(possibly better portrayed then most terrorists in action movies). Batman himself as probably scarier then the villains, as nothing seems to stop him and he attacks his opponents viciously but with caution. For a character who has no super-powers, tricking your opponents into thinking you're some superhuman demonic creature is one amazing feat and the movie pulls this off quite well. Other actors like Rugter Hauer and Tom Wilkison are also competent. The movie makes for good storytelling and character that feel true to life and camp free. And they finally made Gotham City into something you can believe in, a city that looks pretty on the outside but on the inside it's rotten to the core, there's poverty, desperation,degradation, slums, corrupt city officials and corrupt police officers: all the elements for a crime movie(which is vital for the Batman comics). The soundtrack is another high point in the film, deep, strong and moving. You can almost visualize the action just by hearing the songs. I'll be waiting for the sequel for sure, as Batman is once again up there among the ranks of Spiderman and the X-men.