A brilliant film, but one or two minor problems

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2005)

"Batman Begins" truly is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time, and is almost certainly one of the best superhero movies to come out since "Spider-Man". It's another smash movie for director Christopher Nolan, whose "Insomnia" is one of the greatest Hollywood re-makes from the beginning of the decade. And as for the title role, Christian Bale proves that an "American Psycho" is almost perfect casting for one of America's most psychologically troubled comic book heroes.
The story is simple enough - all of us who know the Batman legend know it fairly well. A young Bruce Wayne sees his parents murdered and the after-effects are the cause for the birth of the Bat. But this film also delves deeper into how he became the tough fighter he is. We must always remember with batman that he is NOT a SUPER hero: he does not have the legendary powers of his counterparts, like Superman, the X-Men, or even Spidey. What he has is strength, and a bloody good left hook and all.
So the first third of the film is rather reminiscent of the Asian kung-fu films we are beginning to see more and more of in the West, as Wayne trains with the League of Shadows, it's mysterious leader Ras's Al-Ghul (Ken Wattanbe) and his number two, Emile Ducard (Liam Neeson). Wayne brings the house down on the League, however, and journeys back to Gotham. The second third of the film is largely dominated by how Bruce turns himself into Batman, using the realistic weapons and body armour supplied by Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). The third part of the film is the first real adventures that Batman faces, and there are some real humdingers in terms of twists in this part of the film.
There are, however, as with nearly all other Batman films, a few tiny drawbacks.
The bad guys are fantastic - I've got nothing against Tom Wilkinson's Falcone, and as for Cillian Murphey's Scarecrow, it just proves that nobody does a Hollywood blockbuster baddie quite like us British! But I do feel that we did not see enough of Murphy in the film for him to be able to do justice to such an interesting character as the Scarecrow. Obviously this is cleared up at the end when we discover who the true enemy is, but I still think that Murphy's character, though brilliant in performance, does not exactly pose much of a threat to Batman.
This film also presents a problem in terms of the other four Batman movies. Now, I personally did not like "Batman & Robin", but I feel there ought to be some continuity. As a big Tim Burton fan, I have an uneasy feeling that if a certain character is re-introduced into the new series of films, as is hinted at the end of the movie, then Burton's efforts will be wiped clean off the slate, and they will become just another version of the Batman legacy. Also, I feel personally that nobody grins like Jack! Still, besides these few minor points, the film is very enjoyable, and also very dark in some places, which I feel is the right idea for the Batman franchise. as I have mentioned before, Batman is not actually the most super of heroes. His is a dark, mysterious story that, compared to "Superman", makes the X-Men look like the Tellytubbys! It is perfect film noir, and I am glad that Nolan has captured that feeling in the film. There is very little light in it at all, which helps give Gotham the Gothic atmosphere it requires.
I have already mentioned the brilliant performances of Bale and Murphy, and I must not forget to mention Gary Oldman's Jim Gordon, who provides some very funny lines throughout all the darkness of it all. There is also Katie Holmes who, although not on the screen a lot of the time, does give her character a certain Gothamesque quality. I liked what happened between her character and Bale's Wayne at the end of the film because this is exactly how I feel Batman should be with his love interests. But Michael Caine's Alfred is super, without question. Although I enjoyed Michael Gough in the last four films, I think that Caine has made the part of Alfred his own. He seems to be enjoying it immensely, and is someone who I feel would work well in a bigger storyline for him.
I read in another review that this film does for Batman what "GoldenEye" did for Bond, and I cannot agree more. This has wiped away all traces of "Batman & Robin" and nipple-accustomed bat suits off of the wall and come crashing through with a fantastic movie. I cannot wait for the sequel.
By the way, if Nolan is reading this, I do a very good grin and my laughter can be as high-pitched and as scary as you want it. Just a thought...
8/10