Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 4.0
Puts the Dark back into the Dark Knight
Batman Begins certainly isn't perfect, but it more than does the job of instilling new life into the Batman cinematic universe. It's unfortunate that any filmmaker had to actually start from scratch and reexamine the origins of Batman, but what else can you do after 1997's Batman and Robin? It should never have come to that, as Batman is by far the most compelling and human superhero ever envisioned. I don't think the film truly gets the back-story right, but it does hit on Bruce Wayne's primary motivation - the fact that legal and political restraints keep the cops from truly succeeding on too many occasions. As for that back-story, the murder of Bruce's parents is presented quite well, and his childhood before and after that fateful night also works. Wayne the young adult, however, doesn't work for me. Director Christopher Nolan really overplayed, in my opinion, the guilt factor and turned young Bruce into a jerk - when Katie Holmes has to slap some sense into you, you know you're a jerk. And then there is the matter of Wayne's 7-year disappearance. Personally, I think the story of Batman's foreign training in those years is best left shrouded in mystery. In the movie, we see him trained by none other than Ra's Al Ghul - and that works great and really helps tie this movie together. If you're familiar with Batman's history, however, you have to ask: who in his right mind would have Bruce Wayne train under Ra's Al Ghul, of all people? In the comics, Batman never even met the guy until he kidnapped Robin and tried to recruit Batman to be his successor and son-in-law.As you can see, I had a few problems with the first section of the film. Once Wayne returns to Gotham City, however, and dons the cowl of the Batman, the film finally kicks in with all cylinders. It's great to see a dark and gritty side to the character; when this version of Batman says "he'll talk to me," he knows whereof he speaks. That's the kind of dark knight that can raise a little heck, even in a city as corrupt and socially broken as Gotham City. After a rather clumsy and embarrassing debut, a rather ruthless (yet just) Batman soon begins spreading fear among the fear-mongers of his city. He doesn't win many friends with Gotham's finest (other than Sergeant Gordon), but that's understandable. Even if half of the force weren't already bought and paid for, the fact that Batman causes untold millions of dollars in damages on the streets (not to mention the roofs) of the city doesn't really inspire a lot of good will among guys in suits.Nolan certainly succeeds when it comes to making his movie as realistic as possible, especially in terms of the big chase scene. Realism bows to unbelievable theatrics all too soon, especially in terms of the big plan to purge Gotham City of its sins and social degeneration, but even this fits well inside the Batman milieu - and it makes for some pretty exciting action on the screen.The link between Gordon and Wayne, which extends all the way back to Wayne's childhood, is subtly done. Michael Caine is surprisingly good as the venerable Alfred. Morgan Freeman (the best actor in Hollywood, for my money) lends great presence to an otherwise minor character. I also liked the dichotomy established between Bruce Wayne and Batman - it's not explored all that deeply in the film, but the foundation is there for any future sequels. As for Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), I have to come down on the side of those asking why her character was even in the film. I see what Nolan did with the character, and I suppose she does help define Wayne as well as Batman, but this film could have easily done away with her character and never skipped a beat. Ra's Al Ghul alone provides more than enough insight into Wayne's mindset, as he is basically the very type of man Bruce Wayne might have become were it not for his principles. Ra's Al Ghul, after all, feels himself to be a noble force for justice in a world of degenerate behavior.There's really no doubt about the fact that Batman Begins is the best Batman movie to date. Christian Bale grows into the role (both figuratively and literally - gaining back all the weight he lost for The Machinist) quite well as the story progresses, the supporting cast is loaded with big stars who live up to their names, and the special effects (even all of those CGI bats) are awe-inspiring and fun to watch. Most importantly, though, Christopher Nolan succeeds in putting the dark back into the Dark Knight.