Batman Begins with a vengeance

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2005)

The Tim Burton Batman movies were great films (has Burton ever made a bad one?) and I really loved Batman Returns but Batman Begins is the most legitimate Batman representation to date and is the best movie of them all so far. Batman Begins is furious and full throttle but is also very respectful of the characters, something that the other movies missed pretty badly. The kicked dog of the series, Batman and Robin, in particular didn't give a darn about the characters. It was simply a Hollywood costume party. Batman Begins removes the fluff entirely, builds the Bruce Wayne character and the Batman mythology brick by brick and it is rock solid by film's end. This Batman is much more like the Burton Batman but director Nolan's Batman is also a person, the flesh and blood and mortally scarred human that fans of the character love so much. Batman is a force, unbeatable in a fight and comic book like in his justice but he's a man with thoughts and feelings too. We get that character in Batman Begins, one that's structured and deep. That development takes up the first half of the movie as Wayne studies crime and trains with Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's is not how Batman learned to fight (he wasn't even a character until over thirty years after Batman existed) so this part is a new mythology. Wayne learns the ways of a man, both physical, emotional and psychological. As a 32 year old man who is fascinated by the Batman universe, I really related and latched onto that mentally. It is truly enthralling for guys in general. Batman then becomes Batman, and that process is also created brick for brick. Christian Bale is the best Batman so far because his character is more humanized. Keaton's Batman was more of a gruff and silent mute who fights crime. This Batman feels it, thus deeply laying claim as the best Batman so far. Bale's Batman is manly, a major improvement from poor George Clooney's suicide mission in B and R. Bale is also passionate. This Batman yells, he emotes. He also kicks a lot of tail, much more like the comic Batman and something that I was very disappointed not to see in the 1989 Batman. Batman also "flies" (glides) and his hardware is updated military so it's very believable in an unbelievable sort of way. Bale is tremendous in the role. He is not the textbook image to play Bruce Wayne but he is PERFECT as the Dark Knight. To be exactly like the Batman of the comics he just needs to bulk up a few pounds and grow the beard like he had early in the movie and he's even more perfect. The transition to Batman from Bruce is also the best super hero disguise I've ever seen. I would never have said that that was Christian Bale in the Batman suit. For a guy with the same visible chin, he really does great playing "two people." The supporting characters are tremendous and make the movie seamless (I love Rutger Hauer.) Caine gives Alfred life and feeling. Morgan Freeman may be the most likable guy in film history. Cillian Murphy is a great bit of casting for the Scarecrow. He's sinister, aloof, ambivalent, and really creepy and never lets on with any feeling that would generate sympathy. He is a great screen villain. He's not given much airtime but he's terrific when he does and his fear toxins' hallucinations are brought to the screen brilliantly. You don't just see them, you feel them. Neeson is great in his role, really responding with a deeply masculine way with a really terrific edge. The dialogue is great as well although it's garbled at times. The movie also goes very, very fast. At times, I was really wishing it would slow down. On the flip side, it engages and holds onto the viewer at the same time. It never gets dull and moves FAST, much like the original Star Wars. The plot also runs together a bit (or a lot) and you get lost in the psychobabble, part of the sacrifice for a movie that is a thrill ride. I truly did not much care because I love the Batman world for it's characters and not it's schemes and this movie made me very happy in that regard. Hey, it's a fantasy, you can have "good guys" and "bad guys" (and make the bad guys real creepy.) I thought that Katie Holmes was very good as Rachel but most others don't share my opinion. What really did she do poorly? A truly great "beginning" to what is hopefully a VERY LONG and lucrative Batman progression and even better the second time.