Batman Begins

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MovieManiac83Apr 23, 2015

Of all the major comic book characters to transition to a less static visual media, none has been more mistreated than the Bat-Man. As originally envisioned by creator Bob Kane in 1939, Batman was a dark character who walked the tightropeOf all the major comic book characters to transition to a less static visual media, none has been more mistreated than the Bat-Man. As originally envisioned by creator Bob Kane in 1939, Batman was a dark character who walked the tightrope between hero and vigilante. That was his image until the 1960s, when the campy TV series starring Adam West transformed the character into a silly-but-likable good guy in gray spandex. Tim Burton re-invented Batman for a surreal (and, at the time, highly anticipated) 1989 feature, but the movie ended up focusing more on The Joker, leaving the titular hero to lick his wounds as a supporting character. By the time that Batman series reached its third movie, it had fallen back to the campy level of its TV predecessor. Now, there's nothing wrong with camp, per se, but, by the 1997 arrival of Batman and Robin, fans had had enough. Batman looked dead, at least until now.

With Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan has gone back to basics, jettisoning both the silliness of the TV incarnation and the gothic and fetishist elements of the '90s version. This is a hard-core, down-and-gritty origin story - the tale of, as one might reasonably expect, how Batman begins. It isn't intended as a "prequel" to the 1989 film - not only is Gotham City a completely different place, but key events of the Batman chronology are re-spun. Batman Begins is designed as the start of a new life, a reboot for the franchise. In the process, Nolan has not only crafted the best Batman movie, but arguably the second-best motion picture superhero narrative (topped only by the linked duo of Superman and Superman II). For those who thought Spider-Man and X-Men had a lot to offer, wait till you see where this film goes.

To tell this first story of Batman, Nolan and co-screenwriter David Goyer weave established elements of the Caped Crusader's history into a coherent tapestry that includes material of their own devising. We see what prompts Batman to choose his image, how the Batcave is developed, where the suit and utility belt come from, and what the secret of the Batmobile is. Rather than de-mythologizing Batman, this provides us with better understanding of who he is and what motivates him - aspects whose absence were glaringly evident when Tim Burton brought his vision of the superhero to the screen 16 years ago.

Although there's less of a stylized noir feeling to Batman Begins that there was to Batman, Nolan nevertheless keeps things dark, since bats hunt at night. The action scenes are, for the most part, kinetic and exciting - things that have rarely been true of fights and chases in the superhero's previous incarnations. Burton was at a loss how to do action, and Schumacher was perfunctory. Nolan understands how to elevate the adrenaline level, with interesting camera angles, strong editing, and effective special effects work (light on CGI and heavy on models and working gadgets) all contributing.

Batman Begins is a strong re-start to a franchise that deserves better than it has often been accorded. The ending provides a direct lead-in to another Batman movie, and Nolan is on the record as saying he envisions making a trilogy. The next installment is probably three years off, but, in the meantime, we have Bryan Singer's re-invention of Warner Brother's other DC goliath, Superman Returns. If Singer can do for Superman what Nolan has done for Batman, then the summer of 2006 will have at least one film to anticipate.… Expand