Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 3.0
"Batman" returns...kind of
Is it a bird?Is it a plane?No, it's...no not that guy.It's the one and only Dark Knight, Batman, and this time he's back with a bang. "Memento" and "Insomnia" director Christopher Nolan, along with "Blade" screenwriter David Goyer, has crafted a modern and more realistically grounded Bruce Wayne for the new millennium in his interesting yet flawed "Batman Begins."We start off in some Asian prison where Bruce (a terrific Christian Bale) has ended up from trying to learn the ways of criminals and their ways. He puts a pounding on some bullying prisoners and ends up talking with a mentor named Ducard (Liam Nesson). He tells him of the League of Shadows, a society bent on seeking justice at any cost, swiftly and harshly. He makes Bruce an offer he can't refuse. He tells him he can make himself into an everlasting symbol."Legend, Mr. Wayne."He goes through his training-martial arts, sword fights, emotional counseling- and finds his true calling. After a misunderstanding gone wrong with Ducard and the League, Bruce decides to return to his beloved Gotham.The city is now a nest of crime and corruption, and, according to some, beyond salvation. Bruce feels he can save the metropolis and its citizens. But he'll need some help.There's his faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine), and his gadget man Lucius (Morgan Freeman). There's his childhood friend/love-interest Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) who works for the D.A. and shares Bruce's/Batman's passion for vengeance and justice. There's also possibly the only honest cop left in town Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman). Most of the paid-off cops see Batman as a nuisance, but Gordon thinks he's "just trying to help."The cast is solid across the board, except for Katie Holmes who just doesn't seem woman enough yet for this role. Bale gives Bruce Wayne flesh-makes him real, genuine, human. We see him make wrong decisions, fail at times, fall or slip while trying to Evil Knievel-it across the skyscrapers, place false hope and trust on others. Cillian Murphy is creepy as Dr. Crane, aka The Scarecrow. Nolan and Goyer fill the script with terrifically refreshing popcorn dialogue that seems simultaneously based in realism. He coats his Gotham City in harsh light and shadows, bringing back the dark tones of Tim Burton's originals.But Nolan does forget to throw some elements in here to make "Begins" a classic. He fails to achieve any real sense of excitement or fun into the action, which seems a bit tame for this dark film. He steals a train sequence right out from under Sam Raimi's nose from his astounding "Spider-Man 2." if your gonna steal from a classic, at least try to do it justice. The villain here is not supposed to be emphasized as they were in the previous films, but he doesn't feel at all like a match for the bat. And for the most part, "Batman" is sluggish at times. Now, understandably, it is mostly exposition into the drive and psychological birth of the Dark Knight, but could have had much more brisk pacing.In the end, Nolan and company have refreshingly bring Batman back into familiar, dark, and gothic territory. He has made an interesting and plausible explanation for the beginnings of the legend, and given his story great acting weight to accompany it. He may have stumbled a bit along the way, but he does a fine enough job to make one genuinely mean this:It's good to have you back Batman!