Dark Batman serves the franchise well

Rating: 9/10 (23 June 2005)

Ever since I heard they were try to resurrect the severely damaged Batman franchise from the damage the two Joel Schumacher I have been interested in seeing Batman Begins. The way I think Batman should be represented is not through the bloated, laughing-stock films 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman & Robin' (although the camp 1966 movie is a classic). I'm interested in the Gothic Gotham city in the Tim Burton films...and this film promised an ultra-dark take on the Batman franchise.
Despite my eagerness to see a dark Batman movie, I was actually a little unprepared for what Batman Begins had to offer. I was shocked by the murder scene of Bruce Wayne's parents, and the ninja training scenes where Bruce honed his fighting skills. I thought that Bruce Wayne's desire for revenge was too extreme for how the films should portray him. But when viewed as a whole film it all makes sense.
Viewed as a total film, the viewer is drawn into Bruce Wayne's world. We are there with him as he witnesses his parents' murder, as Gotham turns into a city crawling with corruption, and as Wayne Industries is taken out of his control. The team behind this movie have truly put a lot of thought into Wayne's reasons for becoming Batman, and the subsequent transformation was a very enjoyable piece of cinema.
In a sprawling city seething corruption, Wayne/Batman (who are portrayed as distinct identities) pick their allies wisely, and these give the viewer signs of 'hope' from the mess the city has become. All the actors from Gus Lewis (Bruce Wayne as a child) to more experienced actors like Michael Caine (Alfred) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) do a good acting job in this movie. Although I had doubts about Katie Holmes' role in the movie, she actually did a pretty good job as Bruce Wayne's long-time friend, Rachel Dawes; someone who Wayne must present a 'playboy' image to in order to keep his 'Batman' identity a secret.
I feel the film has some weaknesses; the Batmobile chase sequence seemed to be an unnecessary excuse to have a car chase, and it detracted from the movie as a whole. Also, some of the fight scenes were shot in a very confusing way so the viewer can not accurately understand what is happening in the action. Whilst this is trying to put the viewer in the 'middle of it all', Christopher Nolan should have been a little more selective with his use of this technique. At times I missed the 'comic book' streak that the Tim Burton movies had in them, but realise that Batman Begins had to be a 'boots & all' effort to make its mark as a distinctly-dark resurrection of the Batman franchise.
As a whole though, Batman Begins is a very good movie; one that all Hollywood directors should watch and take lessons from. The film succeeds because of the way the film cleverly transports the viewer into the dark world of Gotham City, and more specifically into the mind of Bruce Wayne. This is definitely not a Batman movie to take the kids to see, and I'm glad! 4.5 stars/5