Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
That's What I Call a Re-Launch!
Here's the conventional wisdom regarding the Batman film franchise: Sometime in the late 80s, Tim Burton made a brilliant masterpiece from the Batman mythology, followed it with an equally impressive Batman Returns, then left the franchise in the hands of Joel Shoemacker, who proceeded to give Batman nipples, a sidekick and tons of neon. The audience rebelled; the lucrative franchise died.Here's how I see it: The franchise was crap from the very beginning! Tim Burton had a vision, granted. But it was a vision that had nothing to do with Batman. The first film had some admirable art direction and some memorable moments, but it's no more a definitive portrayal of Batman than the `60s TV series was. Why? Because Burton didn't care about delving into the dark psyche of his main character, choosing instead to focus on the operatic villains and the mise en scene. I'll even go out on a limb here and defend Joel Shoemacker (one time only!) and say that Batman Forever was closer to a real Batman movie than either of the Burton films because it, at least, made some small effort to deal with the motivations behind Bruce Wayne's obsession. And don't even get me started on the casting. Michael Keaton is a wonderful actor, but Batman. Come on! Slight, un-athletically built, and wearing a hairpiece that somebody swiped from the set of TJ Hooker, Keaton didn't sell being Bruce Wayne, and Bruce Wayne is the key to the whole thing.Well kids, that's where Batman Begins gets it just right. Christopher Nolan's low-key, realistic take on the mythology is a lesson on how to reinvent a franchise; First, throw out everything that came before and start fresh. Second hire a writer who knows something about the character (David Goyer, in this case). Next, cast it right. Finally, stick with what's important - your main character's story arc. The concept here is deceptively simple; how did young Bruce Wayne work up to becoming Batman? And unlike so many superhero origins, this horse has not been beaten to death. In fact Batman Begins benefits greatly from being able to craft a new take on the events leading up to Bruce putting on the cowl for the first time. I've read my share of Batman comics; but the first act of the film is phenomenally fresh and inventive. Managing to be both familiar and utterly original at the same time.As the film progresses, something even more interesting happens; the whole thing gets smarter, deeper, even more engaging. The film keeps deconstructing Batman; his past, his motivations, his psychology... and then reconstructs him fresh. So - for example - we don't simply get cool gadgets, we get the concept behind the gadgets, how they work, why they look the way they do. This is both clever and interesting. Batman Begins also benefits greatly from a wonderful cast: Liam Neesen, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, and the great Michael Caine. Wow! And nobody here is just collecting a paycheck either; the performances are great across the board. One of my favorite scenes is between little Bruce and Oldman as Jim Gordon. Bruce's parents were just murdered; he's in shock and the only kindness he gets is the look on one cop's face. That look, folks, is worth the price of admission alone, and it perfectly exemplifies the level of acting and drama in this film. And, of course, most of it would fail if Bruce Wayne himself was not brilliantly rendered by Christian Bale. This is, bar none, the best lead performance in a comic book based film, ever (sorry Chris Reeve)! Bale is smart, brooding, and deep. There are levels upon levels to his character and as those levels are peeled back, we grow to relate to a man who, frankly, is difficult to relate to. And when he puts on the Bat suit, Bale is scary. That's right, really scary the way Batman is supposed to be. And that's the way the action is handled too: things happen mostly in shadow with lightening speed. This is both true to the comics and dramatically potent. Batman is a night creature who uses stealth and misdirection and this film is the first to capture that on screen.There are minor problems here: some logic holes in the plot and some action set pieces are less than spectacular. For my money too, the romance between Bruce and Katie Holmes is bit dull. But these are minor qualms and every weakness is countered by consistent brilliance. Not everything works, but the important things do. You believe in Wayne, you believe in Batman, and you buy the whole thing. Kudos to Nolan, David Goyer and the cast and crew. Batman Begins is the best (live action) superhero movie ever made.