A beginning like no other

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2005)

It's been 16 years since the world was introduced to BATMAN on the big screen and oh, how we cherished that film and the sequel that came after it. I say sequel, because the "other" two films that came after BATMAN RETURNS were a disgrace to the comic book franchise. The truth is, it's been almost 9 years since George Clooney graced us as the caped hero and that was just about long enough for me to forget about how stupid and cheesy it and it's predecessor really were. Luckily for us though, time heals, so by the time the idea for BATMAN BEGINS was released to the public, I think we were all ready for something new and exciting. And I must say we got what we wanted, plus 100 times more in what many critics, including myself, are dubbing the best BATMAN flick yet.
With a cast like the one in BATMAN BEGINS, it's hard to single out just one actor. Even before seeing this film, I felt like no other actor would match Michael Keaton's performances in the first two BATMAN flicks, but Christian Bale did, plus some. And Bale (AMERICAN PSYCHO, EQUILIBRIUM, THE MACHINIST) wasn't just good, he was convincing, yet raw, which played nicely to the story going on. Bale brought all the anger into the role that was needed and just ran with it. But, that wasn't all. He was great without the cape too, cracking jokes and pulling off that playboy charm we all love in the Bruce Wayne character.
Playing opposite Bale was such screen legends as Michael Caine, playing Alfred Pennyworth, Morgan Freeman, playing the tech-savy Lucius Fox and of course Liam Neeson, who was excellent as Ducard. But, at no point did any of these screen legends overpower Bale, which was needed to keep the focus on his character. Not even Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow, who was brilliant, overpowered Bale's Batman. And in reality, there probably could have been more Scarecrow/Batman exchanges, but who knows, maybe there will be in the next film. Filling out the rest of the powerful cast was Katie Holmes, who was good in her small role as assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes and Gary Oldman, who played a very convincing Jim Gordon, the last good cop left in Gotham.
The one thing that is almost undeniable in BATMAN BEGINS is the amount of detail that was put into it. I can't think of anything that was missed or didn't flow with the rest of the story. That says something about director Christopher Nolan's (MEMENTO) work ethic, who is really a rookie director. It's clear he worked hard with screenwriter David S. Goyer (BLADE trilogy) on making sure he gathered all the right information on the cast of characters included in his film. Detail like that and the detail surrounding Batman himself was enough to ignite this film into something bigger than itself.
I think the one aspect that defined this film was how well the story was molded into the action and special effects, something George Lucas obviously forgot to do with STAR WARS: EPISODE III Â– REVENGE OF THE SITH. Nolan did wonders with Goyer's story and made sure the effects around the story were not overdone, a key to films like this. The one aspect of the action that caught me by surprise though was Nolan's camera work with the fight sequences of Batman. Instead of just having a big open fight sequence, Nolan chose to use Batman's undeniable scare tactics on his victims as the biggest weapon, almost like an element of surprise. And you know, some critics say this film could have been better visually, but I disagree. I think the balance between the story and the special effects was perfect, right down to some of what I call the "money shots" of Batman flying or standing atop a building.
With two films to go, BATMAN BEGINS was the ideal start to refuel this once famed franchise. With a script that couldn't have been better, director Christopher Nolan earned his worth in Hollywood by producing one of the best adaptations of a graphic novel in recent memory. If you didn't know who Christian Bale was before this film, you certainly will after it, in a movie that almost makes you forget about any previous BATMAN flicks, which is a feat like no other if you ask me.
A+