"Wait! Now this is good work."

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2005)

So 8 years after Batman's Schumacher-defiled corpse was buried shallow in fluorescent topsoil is it a case of Chris and Chris - the new dynamic duo or a fresh opportunity missed? Well a bit of both actually. Batman Begins is an altogether different take on the DC comics character from Burton's fantasy excess or that other mans two-portions of memory pollution. Its a concerted and often successful attempt to take the thing seriously, as much a reaction to the toddler orientated tat of the last two films as a new beginning. Nolan and Bale are determined that this should be an adult adventure and its played straight with a meaty psychological foundation with action set-pieces kept to a minimum. This is the nice surprise of Batman Begins because in contrast to its big screen predecessors the titular character is pushed to the forefront and for once his psyche is properly dissected so that those big themes of fear, guilt and revenge take centre stage and we get to know Bruce Wayne a little bit even if he is a miserable bastard. Previous Bat-directors didn't really know what to do with Batman so they kept the focus on his larger than life enemies but Nolans clever enough to realise that Batman is every bit as disturbed as those he'd pursue and that the character's origin story knocks your Joker's and Penguin's into a cocked hat. Nolan's caped crusader is for once a real predator, not just a man in a silly costume and Bale finally gives you a characterisation you can chew on as opposed to a famous face going through the motions. Whether its the definitive take on the Dark Knight as he claims is open to debate but its certainly the best we've seen yet.
Nolan deliberately steers clear of Burton's Gothic stylisation or Schumacher's...well Schumacher and creates a Gotham with the sense of the real about it in keeping with the film's more grounded tone. Its a adaptation without a trace of camp just real world explanations for now familiar elements and this makes the whole thing fairly engaging and occasionally surprising. That said, the introspective, measured approach doesn't make for much of a show in the classically entertaining sense and you do sometimes miss Burton's gift for the theatrical and the absurd which he could also make dark and twisted. Having had Batman movies where the villains have it all their way we're suddenly looking at the converse situation - Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow genuinely disturbing but underused. I wasn't too keen on the eastern set opening half hour either, which is a bit of a mess and poorly cut with flashbacks to Wayne's childhood or the anonymous mood music which is supposed to pass for a score. I suppose once you've been reared on Elfman there's no going back but Nolan obviously thought a full blown orchestral accompaniment might have upset the balance of the movie. I think he's wrong about that but it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment - if anything the subtle approach heightened the emotive power of some scenes, which of course was the point. So all in all Batman Begins isn't really much fun but it does have half a brain in its head and has a real go at fleshing out the caped crusader for an audience who are old enough to appreciate the effort. The movie ends with a nicely judged speech by Gary Oldman's Lt. Gordon which sets up a potential sequel with the Joker and I can say that based on what I've seen here that's one contest I'll look forward to. He's dour, he's disturbed and he's a little po-faced but no matter, Batman, against all odds, is back.