batmanbegins

After four rather surreal trips into Batland since 1989, the fifth film that is technically the first film of a
new series has finally given the Batman movie franchise some much needed maturity. No longer
are the Batman films split between two worlds, that of the comic book and that of the 1960s
television series, of which the Tim Burton films were undecided while the Schumacher films wrongly
embraced the television show with relish.

No, “Batman Begins” is a new, visceral animal of a movie. This new film recalls the darkness of the
original comic book and the more cerebral bent of the stories themselves, much in the same way the
highly successful animated series did in the early 1990s. Before this movie, no other Batman
adaptation in the media captured the intelligent plotting and mature dramatics of the comic series
like the animated show.

Director Christopher Nolan, best known for his film “Memento,” has taken a very smart stance with
this first film. Rather than start with an avalanche, Nolan merely tosses a very well designed
snowball that will likely roll into an avalanche of more amazing Batman films if properly monitored.
Unlike his predecessors who began with massive spectacles like The Joker’s gargantuan parade
and The Riddler’s island fortress, Nolan begins with Bruce Wayne and stays with him, for unlike
previous directors who delineated between Wayne and Batman, Nolan believes that Wayne and
Batman are the same man.

Obviously, this is how Batman begins and it is done in a classy way. Wayne, after having trained in
the remote mountains of Asia with the most intense and secret stealth warriors, returns to Gotham
City to wage war on the criminal underworld and political corruption of Gotham as the Dark Knight.
We learn in this movie what Wayne fears, why he broods and where his intensity comes from.
Wayne, played expertly by Christian Bale, is a man who doesn’t know himself. He knows neither his
intentions nor his limitations, but his only way of staying sane is to test them and continually push his
own limits.

In his quest to rid Gotham of organized crime, Wayne carefully acquires his equipment in some
subtle sequences that are some of the most entertaining scenes in the film. Then he inadvertently
finds himself faced with confronting The Scarecrow, a psychiatrist who experiments with deadly
hallucinogens. It’s a nice way to begin the series, without a serious heavy like The Joker. Instead,
Nolan uses one of the second tier villains to ease the audience and Wayne into the saga.

Beyond that, I refuse to give the plot away. Like the animated series, it’s intelligent and well performed. The cast is a who’s who of talent, including Michael
Caine as Wayne’s butler Alfred, Gary Oldman as a “pre-Commissioner” Sergeant Gordon, Liam Neeson as his combat mentor and even Morgan Freeman
playing Fox, his equipment resource.

There are some aesthetic drawbacks to this movie that cannot go unmentioned. Firstly, the film is far too darkly composed. Sure, Gotham is a dark place and
Batman a dark character, but this film is so shrouded in black that my eyes bled with the strain of seeing anything. I’d of liked to see more definition in the
characters faces and movements, especially Batman’s. Coupled with that is the erratic editing style of the action scenes, so common in today’s films and not a
good thing. Instead of getting to see Batman wipe the floor with criminals, we only get impressions. A fist here, a flowing cape there and the camera cutting at
100 miles per hour. I admit I prefer Burton’s handling of the action in the original film much better than Nolan’s rapid-fire approach. I paid money to see Batman,
so show him to me for Pete’s sake.

Don’t misunderstand me. This is easily the best Batman film to date with the most well motivated (if not most well filmed) action scenes, the best character
development and the most intellectual plot. With an excellent cast and the highest production value, Batman is back literally like never before in live action film.
May it signal good things to come.