A Promising Start.

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2008)

If there's one superhero figure out there who has been tossed around and re-imagined just as much as ever-so bloated Superman it's his fellow DC Comics star Batman. From his original dark conception in the forties on paper, to his campy popularity surge in the sixties with Adam West, the bat-man is a figure that has been a consistently present in American pop culture. As is usually the case with franchises however, such popularity usually gets the better of the product, quality declines and years will go by with little to no interest in what was once in such demand. Such has been the case with Batman, and up until 2005, the superhero had been on the backburner for a good eight years. Enter Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan's much anticipated re-imagining of countless other re-imaginings, and from the opening scene it's evident that Batman may just finally be getting the respect he deserves as a formidable and mature superhero; his audiences have grown older and so has he. By no means is the movie the classic it could have been, but it's a fine effort nevertheless and delivers a compelling and welcome look back at how it all began for the dark knight.
The story rather suitably starts at the very beginning, detailing the rise of Batman and the fall of Bruce Wayne. Thankfully Nolan devotes the majority of the focus of Begins on such development; crafting a protagonist that is strong of will, but doesn't always have things going his way. There's plenty of the grit and the darkness that played such a major role in the establishment of the comic book's character, and while at times as Scarecrow states- the film can take itself just a little too seriously for its own good, the consistency and strength that resides within the ominous tone is fitting in order to fulfil the main character's motivations. Still fuelled by the resentment and guilt over his parent's death as a young boy, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) seeks to rid the city of Gotham of its criminal infestation by injecting fear into those who pray upon the fearful. Through this exposition we are treated to significantly more detail and important characterisation than cinema audiences have thus far only been thrown in sporadic scraps in between all the campy action in previous instalments. To be sure, Begins is most reminiscent of the original Batman directed by Tim Burton in its murky, cynical viewpoint of criminal justice and moral ambiguity, but the key advantage that Nolan has over Burton here is a much more solid script with plenty more character to invest in. This is why, acts one and two are the movie's key parts, where focus is primarily on these characters and their relationships not only to each other but to their personal anxieties and conflicts.
All this extra padding makes for some interesting and at times, utterly compelling drama that involves suspense and action. Unfortunately however, a distinct lack of focus in the antagonists' lair and a throwaway, tedious romantic subplot hinder complete engagement with the feature. As villains, Tom Wilkonson, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphey are a little too blasé, and put far too back into the mixture of things to be as threatening as the director seems to presume they are. In contrast to the brilliant, multi-textured relationship between Wayne and butler Alfred (Michael Caine), and even the downplayed, rather short-lived rivalry between Wayne and his parent's killer (which carries the greatest amount of emotional resonance within the film), the chemistry and hero/villain conflict here is perfunctory and little more than merely satisfactory. As a unit, the villains fulfil their roles as sources of personal torment for the bat-man, but only according to how the rules state they should be; there are no original, memorable qualities outside of Murphey's sometimes zany psychosis, and the sense of threat is limited to formula and plot only. As for the romantic interest that resides within childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), the chemistry is even worse here, and Nolan once again shows that he is all dazzle when it comes to character's inner struggles, but shows very little skills in the ways of producing outward relations that touch the heart as much as they should.
It's of no surprise then that the final act of the movie, which focuses largely on delivering the explosions that most of the budget goes to pay for, is notably (and ironically) dim in comparison. The action is fine and dandy sure, but context is given the back seat and of course, with very little personal threat attached the whole ordeal thanks to underdeveloped villains and love interests, suspense is extremely limited. Sure enough, we care for Bruce, and we will surely find ourselves cheering on for a happy ending just out of habit, but in the end the outcome and eventual climax feels obvious and underwhelming. It makes for good popcorn munching entertainment sure, but after eighty minutes of solid drama with subtle shades of action, the final act is one that can grow tedious quickly. As a whole however, one can't complain; the structure, although lopsided when it comes to balancing out drama and action, is nevertheless straight forward enough to maintain interest and engagement. Most characters are given ample time to at least reach some level of respectability, and the action, although a little over the top for the sake of spectacle, is fitting enough for a blockbuster action movie. It has its low points and its high points, but thankfully the majority is of a great standard; enough to at least satisfy those looking for a much more modern and mature adventure for Batman. Add this to the fact that Bale delivers what is without a doubt the finest, most realistic rendition of Bruce Wayne to date, and you have yourself a more than competent outing to indulge in that is likely to please audiences old and young.

Jamie Ward (http://www.invocus.net)