Batman Begins

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2005)

Batman is a fantastic franchise that has lasted for years, and in its time Adam West gave us camp, Tim Burton gave us the darker image, Joel Schumacher made it a little pantomime, and now director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) revamped the icon again for this more adult beginning to a series. Basically, in flashback, eight year old Bruce Wayne gained a fear of bats from falling into a cavern and being surrounded and terrified by them, and he suffered the loss of his parents Thomas (Priest's Linus Roache) and Martha (Sugar Rush's Sara Stewart) when they were murdered right in front of him. As an adult there was a point when Bruce (Christian Bale) wanted to kill the man responsible, Joe Chill (Richard Brake), when he was granted parole, but someone working for gangster Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), so to get the justice he wants he relocated to Asia to a Bhutanese prison to learn the ways of the League of Shadows. He learns the skills of the ninja and fighting while he is training with Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), and the leader was Ra's Al Ghul, but when he was near completing the training he found out that the true intentions of the league are to return to his home, Gotham City, and destroy the city, so he reacts by burning the temple and escaping, saving Ducard's life in the process. Having returned to Gotham, Bruce is now determined to build up the empire that his family created, taking over the technology and defence conglomerate Wayne Enterprises, and he wants to make the company public, but of course he still wants to find a way to get revenge and justice for the death of his parents. He sees an opportunity to do this when he is introduced to the company's experimental prototype technologies, including a protective bodysuit and an armoured car, all looked after by Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and creates the persona for justice and fear for criminals, based on his fear of bats, he becomes Batman. As Batman he manages to stop the shipment of illegal drugs, controlled by Falcone, and he manages to catch the mobster and have him arrested, handed over to up and coming police detective Sergeant James 'Jim' Gordon (Gary Oldman), and at the same time as this an experimental weapon called a "Microwave Emitter" that has the potential to wipe out the water supply has been stolen. Declared mentally unfit for trial by the corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), Falcone is transferred to Arkham Asylum, and there the scientist exposes the gang lord to his dangerous hallucinogenic drug and his "Scarecrow" mask to terrify him and drive him insane with fear. Batman is exposed to the fear toxin as well, but his faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth (Sir Michael Caine) rescues him, and an antidote to the toxin is created by Fox, and before exposing her to the toxin as well, Crane reveals his plan to Bruce's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) that he plans to use the city's water supply to expose all citizens to the dangerous drug. Rachel helps Batman catch Crane, and exposes him to it and give him a taste of his own medicine, so that he will reveal more about the plan to spread the toxin throughout Gotham City, and it is on the night of his birthday in Wayne Manor that Bruce is confronted by Crane's boss, Ducard, who is still alive, and his true identity is Ra's Al Ghul. Obviously wanting to fulfil the plan of the League of Shadows, Ducard explains that the Microwave Emitter is what will create the chain reaction for the release of the fear toxin in the city's water supply, and this will create mass hysteria and destruction with the citizens being terrified by the horrific things they hallucinate. After revealing his true identity to Rachel, Batman sets out to stop Ra's Al Ghul, using the train system to deliver the weapon to the Wayne Enterprises tower and trigger the chain reaction, and with the bridge collapsed with the help of Gordon the train is stopped from reaching its destination, and Ra's Al Ghul dies in the crash of the vehicle. In the end Rachel cannot see a way to love Bruce while he is Batman, who has become a public hero for saving the city, and Bruce buys all his shares in his family's company, firing CEO William Earle (The Hitcher's Rutger Hauer) and replacing him with Fox, Gordon is promoted to Lieutenant, the bat-signal is created to call the caped crusader when there is trouble, and it ends with Batman saying he will investigate a new criminal who leaves his calling card, a Joker playing card. Also starring Ken Watanabe as the fake Ra's Al Ghul, Memento's Mark Boone Junior as Flass, The Fast Show's Colin McFarlane as Loeb and Thunderbirds' Shane Rimmer as Older Gotham Water Board Technician. Bale is sarcastic while being playboy Bruce and suitably rough and ready (with a put on voice) as the Dark Knight, and Neeson as the wise but malevolent criminal mastermind and Murphy as the creepy mad doctor do great as the villains, the origins of how the orphaned boy psychologically transformed into the dark figure for justice makes for good plot, and of course all the fighting, explosions and special effects to create the excitement don't disappoint, a terrific action fantasy. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Cinematography, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Special Visual Effects, Best Production Design and Best Sound. Batman was number 84 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons. Very good!