Movie Review: Batman Begins
Calling Batman and Robin a disaster would be an understatement. Not only was it panned by critics and the audiences alike but it performed so poorly that Warner Brothers wouldn’t release another Batman film for 8 years. The franchise seemed dead and buried with all future projects postponed indefinitely. Enter Christopher Nolan who previously directed Memento and Insomnia. His mission: revitalize the caped crusader. With the added responsibility of writing the screenplay, it would be up to Nolan to pull this off. Needless to say a lot was riding on this film
We first see Bruce Wayne in a prison somewhere in Asia, unshaven and emotionally lost. When he is detained after a brawl, he is visited in his cell by a mysterious stranger. The stranger offers him an opportunity to train and eventually join the League of Shadow, a group of mercenaries, but more importantly, offers him a chance to channel in his fighting skills and anger toward a purpose. Through his training we find out that he is afraid of bats due an accident as a child and he’s traumatized by the murder of his parents. Wayne becomes more focused and is now ready to join the Shadows. However, when he is challenged to execute a prisoner and lead a group of men to destroy Gotham City, he declines. He rebels, destroying the base of operations, but saves his mentor from his death before he returns to Gotham.
When Bruce arrives at his hometown, he is welcomed back by his loyal butler Aflred. Gotham since Wayne’s departure has become a city full of decadence, corruption, and crime. One of the people trying to reclaim the city is an assistant DA, Rachel Dawes who also happens to be a close friend of Wayne. Inspired by her and his parents generosity toward the city, Bruce springs into action to defeat the people responsible for the decay. He decides to use an alias to protect his identity and his friends from retribution from his enemies. This identity would become Batman. The crime in the city is being lead by a crime boss who is assisted by a psychologist known as Scarecrow by his patients. Batman soon is aided in his mission by a weapons developer in Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox and a honorable lieutenant in the police force James Gordon. However as he fights his foes, Batman realizes there’s a greater threat to the city than the petty criminals. A group of men mysteriously steal a machine that would poison the water supply and would result in any citizen to become insane with their fears which would then destroy the city. Not only must Batman stop the poison, but he must also find the identity of who is behind it the threat.
The first thing about this film is the unbelievable cast of talented actors. Let’s list who’s in this film: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, and Tom Wilkinson. That an amazing collection of talent in a single movie, but more importantly they’re all terrific. None of these actors overshadow the film, they play their roles according to whatever the screenplay allows. If I had to pick the most important performance of this film it would have to be Neeson. Bale is a huge upgrade as Bruce Wayne and Caine plays the tender butler Alfred perfectly, but Nesson is responsible for giving the film its story and substance. His presence not only makes Bruce’s journey more intriguing , but also gives the film credibility. The first 25 minutes thanks to Neeson, might have been the turning point in the Batman franchise. It’s the best part of the film and I knew at that moment that this was going to be a good film.
The look of the film is a perfect mix of the dark and the modern. While I admire Tim Burton’s artsy look in his films, they tended to overwhelm rather than aid the film. Using Chicago as the backdrop perfectly captures the dour and grittiness of Gotham that makes the city more dangerous and imposing. Nothing highlights it better than the car chase in the underground tunnels of the city. I usually despise vehicle chases, but that backdrop created more thrills and tension than the usual chase. The Elevated Train from the Loop also serves as a great venue for the exciting climax between Batman and the man behind the poisoning the water supply.
But the star of this film is Christopher Nolan. He had so much confidence in his screenplay that Batman doesn’t even show up until a hour into the film. The time was spent on developing the personalities and backstories of all the major characters and not solely relying on special effects or action. Just look at the flashback of Bruce Wayne at the trial of his parents killer. We meet Rachel who is a loyal and moral, we meet the crime lord who is so powerful that he flaunts it publicly, and we also see Alfred for the first time trying to convince Bruce to stay which illustrates how much he cares for Bruce and his parent’s legacy. All this is done in short span in the film, but now we know who the major players are and what their motivations are.
The screenplay also unlike other Batman films takes the time to really explore Bruce Wayne. He’s not just some moody billionaire who just does good because it’s just simply the right thing to do or because he’s a superhero, but he actually does good because of his love for his late parents, Rachel, Alfred, and the city of Gotham. We know why he risks his life to save the city and why we should root him on in the film. We are emotionally invested in his mission throughout the film. We also see a more vulnerable Wayne and Batman as he tries to overcome his trials of his childhood which also goes a long way to show how important Alfred’s role really is. Whenever Bruce is at his lowest, it is Aflred who’s always beside him. When Batman is poisoned by Scarecrow and he’s struggling to breath, the person who he is crying out to is Alfred. The shot than shows a close up of Alfred with tears in his eyes as he races to rescue him. It’s beautifully executed. It’s that precise direction that makes the film work. The emotions are genuine, never fake.
This is a terrific film. It’s one of the best super hero films ever done. It does a great job in making Batman a realistic and more importantly a relatable hero. The characters are all fascinating, the action thrilling, and the story engrossing. It’s amazing what a difference a director makes after seeing the disastrous overblown Batman and Robin. Nolan’s brilliant script and direction makes this film not only a great action film, but a great film period. If Batman had never made an appearance this would still be an excellent film. If the Batman series needed a jump start and a revival, it couldn’t have asked for a better film. As the closing credits rolled, I knew I sat through a masterpiece.
Brian’ Rating 10/10
-Flying Brian
2 thoughts on “20/20 Movie Review: Batman Begins – 2005”
Excellent review and definitely agree with the assessment, thanks Brian!
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