Reinvention of Batman for a New Generation

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 2010)

Eight years after Joel Schumacher officially turned the franchise into a joke with BATMAN & ROBIN, Christopher Nolan came along and rebuilt it from the ground up. He reinvented the series, starting from the very beginning and reintroducing the world to one of the most famous comic book icons. The movie is an origin tale, beginning with Bruce Wayne's globe-trotting and training with the League of Shadows and showing us his initial transformation from angst-ridden millionaire into Gotham City's only hope. In his first investigation into the business of local crime boss Carmine Falcone, Batman stumbles onto a plot overseen by a local criminal psychologist in which an ghost from Wayne's past has plans to destroy the citizens of Gotham.
Nolan's intention with the film was to make it look and feel as if it could exist in the real world, and he succeeds. The Gotham City of Nolan's film is reminiscent of Chicago or New York City, with the overly exaggerated Gothic features of the Burton and Schumacher films no longer present. The villains aren't lunatics in colorful costumes and even Batman himself feels more grounded. Nolan goes through the effort to show Wayne putting his persona together from experimental gear from Wayne Enterprises rather than suddenly dropping Wayne into the Batsuit and expecting the audience to accept it. One of my favorite improvements over the previous films is the Tumbler (the new Batmobile, though you'll never heard it referred to as such). The car chase through (and over) Gotham with Batman in the Tumbler is easily one of the greatest action sequences in the film.
Nolan has assembled an all-star cast for this film that blew my mind. Christian Bale has stepped up as the newest Bruce Wayne/Batman and I believe he's the best one yet. Bale has the charm and ability to portray inner-pain needed for Wayne and the physique and presence for his nocturnal alter-ego. Michael Caine is also a major improvement for the character of Alfred, Wayne's fatherly butler and only real friend. Caine infuses the role with sharp wit while at all times coming off as a form of caring parent. I absolutely loved Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane, head of Arkham Asylum with ties to organized crime. On top of all this, you still have great performances from Tom Wilkinson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, and of course...Liam Neeson. I'd never thought of Neeson for a villainous role before be he was fantastic (as expected). The only weak link in the entire cast was Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, assistant district attorney and Bruce's life-long friend. It wasn't that Holmes did terrible, she just failed to hold her own while surrounded by so much incredible talent and her weaker acting stood out.
The film has a total run-time nearing 2.5 hours but Nolan spends that time wisely, giving us an in-depth glimpse into the life that turned Bruce Wayne into Batman. He covers the murder of his parents and lead straight up through the training and real-world experiences that show Wayne he needs to be more than a vigilante. For those who have been turned off at the camp or goofiness of most comic book adaptations in the past, just know that Nolan brings none of it to the table here. Existing fans of the hero will find that this is the best adaptation of the character to date.