Batman Begins review

Henri Ducard: No, no, no. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely. 
Bruce Wayne: Which is? 
Henri Ducard: A legend, Mr. Wayne. 

Director: Christopher Nolan
(2005)

Batman Begins is one of those films that is far better than it should be. On paper it’s a recipe for disaster, a talented yet relatively unknown director working with a huge budget for the first time to create a film about Batman. After the mess that was Batman and Robin, everyone was sure the caped crusader would never star in a half decent Hollywood production ever again. Yet seemingly out of the blue comes Batman Begins, the first in director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and hands down the best superhero origin story ever made.

What's most surprising about Batman Begins is how Nolan has taken what we think we know about the character and moulded it into a fresher, more organic form. Gone are the ridiculous gadgets, corny lines and lazy attempts at comedy; all thrown away to make room for a more serious Batman. This is an origin story, so we don’t even start with our titular hero, but instead with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Holed up half way around the world beating criminals while in the confines of a jail, he meets the enigmatic Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard offers him training with the League of Shadows, a ground of vigilantes and assassins. Through flashbacks we learn of Bruce’s childhood and relationship with Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), his parent’s demise and his phobia of bats. Soon Bruce returns to Gotham to take power from Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) the mob boss who has a chokehold on the city.

Nolan's Batman works because of this extensive backstory and a lengthy portion of screentime is used to fully flesh out the man behind the cowl. The first half of the film is Bruce Wayne’s story, a choice that certainly pays dividends to this legendary character. By developing Bruce this extensively, Nolan has managed to make us truly care for Batman. The strength of this strong script is proliferated by Bales ace performance, quite easily the best representation of Bruce that has ever been committed to celluloid. The importance of well written characters extends to the whole cast too, a keep emphasis from Nolan seems to be bringing DC’s most famed universe alive. Bruce’s loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine) gives the film a touch of comic relief, his wise observations and wisecracks are worked excellently by veteran actor Caine. The same applies to Wayne Enterprises employee Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) the genius behind Batman’s technologically advanced gear. While these roles may appear relatively minor in the grand scale of things, they nonetheless feel deep enough to augment Bruce- and therefore Batman- as a character.

While the primary focus of Batman Begins is on character and plot development, the action sequences are never neglected in favour of more drama. For the most part Batman’s brawls are shot and edited sharply, a clever trick to give the impression of his incredible speed and ability. While some fights descend into a blur of thugs falling to the ground, we’ve invested so much into the character that the messy editing doesn’t negate to severely from any enjoyment the film radiates. No such issues persist with the vehicle scenes though, which are blisteringly fast and exciting. With the newest iteration of the Batmobile (in this case named the ‘tumbler’) the film delivers an immense payoff with a chase through the streets of Gotham. Evasions, pile ups and stunts that rip the tiles off of roofs, Cinematographer Wally Pfister certainly knows how to craft an engaging, exhilarating scene.

While Batman Begins is a grounded film, it’s by no means completely immersed in realism. Villains and their usually absurd powers are either dropped or backed up by some vague yet consistent science. Batman’s cape allows him to glide by passes electric currents through it and the Tumbler has a rocket booster attached to the back. Yet because the narrative isn’t silly, these oddities can be overlooked at no expense of the films quality or how enjoyable it is. Even secondary villain Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) has his reasons; the tattered mask is to intimidate his patients, an accessory that compliments his mind shredding fear gas.

For its strong writing from David S. Goyer and Jonathan and Chris Nolan, Begins does have its moments of audience patronising handholding. Close to the films stellar climax, exposition is lathered on not once but twice, both of which feel slightly unneeded. Still, it’s easy to poke holes in such minor issues when the rest of the film gets everything so very right. Batman Begins is the film that gave the world a fantastic new director and the rebirth of one of the world’s most famous superheroes. In this context, it’s unmissable.

9