Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 4.0
Batman FINALLY "Begins."
To really appreciate Chris Nolan's "Batman Begins," one has to also understand two other things. The first is the character of Batman, his core and the continuing appeal. The second is Hollywood's dawning comprehension of how to make a superhero movie.As to Batman (or The Batman, if you like), his enduring appeal has always been based upon his nature: tortured, borderline psychotic...and DARK. From his earliest days, the selection of the bat costume and motif, his preference for working from the shadows, and his utter grimness, were intended to strike FEAR into the hearts of evil doers. Unfortunately, the backlash against dark, morbid comics in the 50's led Batman's publishers to "lighten" him up. Garish colors replaced the shadows, Batman became a daylight figure in Gotham City, and the stories became downright silly. It was THIS thread that Hollywood picked up on the 60s during the 1964-66 "Batmania" craze...but it had NOTHING to do with the original concept of Batman.Unfortunately for all concerned, however, the Batmania craze sold a lot of toys and other licensed materials...so it was only natural that when Tim Burton's "Batman" debuted in 1989, the Warner Brothers licensing people would again look to sell oodles of toys and other assorted goodies. But Burton's vision, while taking distinct liberties with the Batman canon, was nonetheless dark...and tykes were scared by the movie. They were even more rattled when "Batman Returns" came out and Danny DiVito was gobbling raw, bloody fish. Thus, the studio honchos put down their corporate feet and said "No more...you're alienating Mommies and ruining a perfectly good money-making enterprise...let's get back to movies that kids will like so we can sell toys."That was (as it had been for the two latter sequels of the Superman movie franchise) the death knell. The resulting movies were awful and, while the five year-olds might have been entertained, older movie-goers stayed away in droves. It was not until the first Spider-Man movie debuted that the studios got it: leave the movie-making to directors and writers who respect the core material, and you will sell movie tickets AND toys.So the suits got out of the way, and in their place entered Chris Nolan, a director who respected the source material, and one who had a vision of the story he wanted to tell. Batman's origin, the death of his parents as the event that dictated his path in life, had been told more than once. There was no need to go back there again, and Nolan wisely chose to almost gloss over that part of the story, and focused instead on how Bruce Wayne BECAME The Batman...and THAT was a story that had NOT been told before.Unfortunately, Nolan's depiction of the birth of the Batman was almost told in real time. The film is half over before Batman even makes an appearance...but what a first appearance it is. This Batman IS shadow...this Batman IS terror. This Batman IS a criminal's worst nightmare. Inspirationally eschewing the third person POV, Nolan has us see Batman as his opponents see him...or rather, as they DON'T see him. The impact is palpable.For his part, Chris Bale, the latest actor to don the Cape and Cowl, also has an obvious respect for the legend he has taken upon his shoulders. There are no winks, asides or clever remarks. This Batman is all business.The rest of the cast is magnificent, with the glaring exception of Katie Holmes, an "actress' whose least egregious sin is being just too darn young for the part she is portraying. Add the facts that she has little talent, no range and little expression, and you have Nolan's one true miscue in the movie. The rest of the casting, however, is sheer genius.This is a movie for both fanboys and casual viewers alike. Geeks will get goose bumps watching the origin of all the Bat-toys told for the first time ever, and less involved viewers (IF they can sit through the first half of the film) will find themselves glued to the edge of their seats as a truly memorable story is told. In this movie Batman truly and finally BEGINS, and it is very good to have him back.