Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 4.0
Still too much Bruce Lee and not enough Sherlock Holmes, but still (by far!) the best live-action rendition of Batman to date
Being a longtime fan of the Batman comics, I have definite ideas about what a Batman movie should be. I am pleased to report that Batman Begins is pretty close to my definition of a good Batman movie - it's certainly the first incarnation of a live-action Batman that I would recommend to friends. The story - millionaire heir Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents deaths at the hands of a mugger. He ends up wandering the world looking for a purpose and comes across the formidable and enigmatic Ra's al Ghul, head of a centuries-old organisation dedicated to cleaning up corruption and decadance (they claim to have caused the sack of Rome, for example). He trains in a variety of martial arts, returning to Gotham City (a fictional city "between NYC and NJ") to start his life of crimefighting. His first target - mob kingpin Carmine Falcone. His second mission - to save Gotham from Ra's's mad plan to raze the city as an example to the world.To a true Batman fan, the plot is not so important as the execution. Luckily the designers of the Batsuit understood that Batman is not a tank that plods through badguys, but a stealth fighter than surgically picks off baddies one-by-one, maximising fear by remaining undetectable. By the same token, this Batsuit is flexible enough that Bale can use martial arts moves and not look awkward, unlike his film predecessors. Similarly, the new Batmobile is a Humvee-like military vehicle that can obviously take the damage thrown at it (as opposed to a suped-up Corvette).Also of vital importance to a Batman story is the incorporation of his origin and the surrounding minor characters. Just as the recent Spider-man films incorporated a large cast of supporting characters and pinned his personality on his origin story, so too does this Batman film. This gives it a richness and depth that is vital to its believability (if such a thing is even possible for a superhero film!). I was especially pleased to see the big-screen debut of Lt. Gordon's corrupt and bullying partner, Det. Flass. Similarly, Gordon himself, Alfred, Ra's, Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane), etc. are all used to good effect here.Unfortunately, there are some nitpicking problems with the film. For starters, where did this character of Rachel (played by Katie Holmes) come from? There is a perfectly good D.A. in the Batman mythos (Harvey Dent), why invent a new one? Similarly, if a female character was needed to be endangered, why not Vicki Vale? Surely an investigative reporter can get into as much trouble with a crime lord as a D.A. could. Another missing character is Ra's's daughter Talia. Finally, (SPOILER ALERT!!) Batman fans will be very upset that his greatest nemesis (except possibly the Joker) dies at the end of the film. Fans of the comic know that Ra's is immortal - perhaps Talia will drag his body back to a Lazarus Pit and revive him? Will we actually see Liam Neeson again?The biggest complaint I have, though, is the balance between the action and the detective work. To me, Batman is sort of a cross between Bruce Lee and Sherlock Holmes. This film has gone entirely to the Bruce Lee side and left out the Sherlock Holmes. Granted, a young and impetuous Batman would probably prefer busting heads to careful CSI-like forensic investigation. I only hope that the overseers at Warner Bros. don't fall into the trap of making an unending series of action films, which would quickly get boring. The detective work, if well done, would be a welcome and necessary aspect of maintaining interest in the franchise.This Special Edition set is most interesting due to the inclusion of the comic book. It contains a few stories from different eras of the Batman comics, to give the reader an overview of the evolution of the comic and character. The DVD extras themselves are pretty standard and only mildly interesting. They include featurettes on the new Batmobile, the development of the Batsuit, etc.