My review of Batman Begins can be summed up as follows: "Pretty Good."
Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Batman Begins starts out with the story of Bruce Wayne and the time spent before becoming Batman. This is by far the strongest part of the movie, as it does something that the mediocre Star Wars III film never managed to do -- build character.
We get to see how Bruce is effected very early by the death of his parents, and how he has felt guilt from it ever since. The killer is caught, and spends many years in prison, until his parole hearing. All this ultimately leads to an adult Bruce who returns from college and goes to see the killer's hearing, which results in the killer being set free. So what does Bruce do? He takes in a gun to kill him, but someone else gets to him first.
This is all handled in elegant fashion, and we get to see that Bruce is completely consumed by the need for vengeance. But now that the killer is dead, what is left? Enter Falconi, a mobster that is basically the Al Capone of Gotham. And for the first time, Bruce realizes how truly corrupt Gotham really is.
So he sets out to train himself. We see Bruce taking the life of crime to see what it is really about -- which adds even more character to Bruce, who is clearly not a Black + White goody-two shoes. Make no mistake -- this is much more like the "Dark Knight Returns" Batman than the idealistic Batman we see in comic books today.
While in exile he hooks up with Ras Ah Gul, who trains him in the arts of stealth, combat, and deception. This is an interesting twist, because he essentially gets all of his training from one of his greatest enemies. All this ends in disaster as Bruce refuses to kill someone in the name of Ras Ah Gul, blows up his fortress, and returns to Gotham after a 7 year absence to become a vigilante.
While this portrayed very well in the movie, it really bothered me that he was able to walk away from it so easily. There are dozens of bad guys in the fortress, yet he manages to get away without anyone noticing? This is my biggest quibble, but a minor quibble none-the-less.
The first part of the movie dealt with character building, which is crucial in most any movie, and this movie handles it with class. We actually see the motives behind Bruce Wayne and what leads him to put on a cape and cowl, and seeing it unfold on screen is pure gold. Even the bats play a critical role here with Bruce Wayne, far more than it just "being a symbol". While Batman Forever (the horrible one with the Riddler) touched on bats being significant, this movie takes it to new heights and makes it all the more crucial.
The next part of the movie deals with Bruce actually becoming a costumed fighter. If the first part of the movie is the strongest in the character building department, then this part in the movie is the strongest in the superhero building department. This isn't as asinine as Peter Parker drawing a costume and suddenly wearing it, or Clark Kent suddenly appearing in red and blue after talking to his father for 7 years (although, Superman is still one of my top 5 all time best superhero movies).
No, in this movie we get to see how he puts together everything.
Ever wonder how his Cape really works as a flying tool?
Ever wonder how he made his mask?
Ever wonder if he has more than one costume?
Ever wonder if he really has anything in those pointy ears?
It is all answered here, and in very elegant fashion. Everything is explained, but more importantly everything is explained very well, even when Alfred asks "why bats, sir?"
We even see him go out as Batman for the first time, in an incomplete bat costume, adding a nice sense of realism and storytelling.
The rest of the movie moves at a brisk pace, but with enough pauses to add more dimension and characterization to all the players. The villains here are threefold, with Ras Ah Gul's remaining army in play, as well as the Scarecrow, and the deeply entrenched Falconi. They all get plenty of screen time, but unlike the previous movies they are all secondary to Batman, who is secondary to Bruce Wayne.
I have always felt that the strength of Batman lies in Bruce Wayne himself, not the costume, and it always bothered me that previous movies never focused on this. Keaton's portrayal of Bruce in Batman Returns (the one with Catwoman) was probably the best... until now.
Here, all the focus is clearly on Bruce Wayne. When he is out fighting crime, we feel for him as Bruce Wayne in a costume, rather than Batman the crime fighter, and this is where the strength of the film truly lies. The script works superbly, and Christian Bale truly brings this character to life.
Not to take away from the rest of the cast, Falconi is simply fantastic (for someone who was in The Full Monty, he pulls off his accent perfectly). The Scarecrow seems a bit strange at first, but ultimately plays his part very well, and Ras Ah Gul & gang was superb.
Not to be outdone, Alfred is a work of fine art. He is not just a bit character -- he is portrayed as a true member of the Wayne household who cares deeply about the Wayne legacy. He is by far the strongest support character in this movie (with Morgan Freeman a close second).
Katie Holmes is pretty good, and it baffles me that reviewers have panned her so badly. She has a very "Dawson's Creek" type performance here, which is good, but I do admit that she lacks some range. Still, she is the best female lead yet, unlike the uninteresting Kim Basinger, overacting Nicole Kidman, or non-acting Elle McPherson. Katie Holme's role is kept very tight within the story, and it is very effective.
The weak link, I felt, was Gary Oldman's Gordon, but I use the word "weak" loosely. I liked his performance a lot and I really felt it is the best Gordon of all the movies. It amazes me that the previous movies portrayed a city's police commissioner as a complete idiot. This movie portrays Gordon as an unconfident but uncorrupted law enforcer. While I would have preferred to see him more confident, this is forgivable because he's not the commissioner yet, nor will he be at the end of the movie!
The rest of the story, which I will not spoil for you, works fairly well, but there is nothing that will make you stand up and applause (except the very end, which sets up nicely for a sequel). We see the Batmobile in action, and we see a very surprising Wayne Mansion scene. The climax lasts for a long time, and is all about Batman and Gordon. This is a great touch as it reminds me a lot of the old Picard + Data days. They work very well as a team, albeit a bit clumsily. Batman can't do it all alone, and it is nice to see him work with others.
The plot works pretty good overall, but I don't understand how a device that can vaporize water does not vaporize humans too. (I did not even realize this until my wife pointed it out to me, so it is a minor quibble).
This is truly Batman beginning. While in the previous movies we see everything setup already, here we don't even have a Batcave yet. No hologram wall, no Commissioner Gordon, no bat boats (thank God), not even a computer in the cave. The batcave is a gritty, dark, and damp place, as you would expect a cave to be.
That being said, this was a very good Batman movie, and easily in my top 5 of favorite superhero movies The Incredibles is #1 if you are interested). However, after coming off of the high powered and fantastic Spider-man 2, I felt a little let down with Batman Begins (just a little).
This is still the best Batman movie to date though, and the nature of Batman is far more nitty-gritty and realistic than a brightly colored spider-man. The movie is also very violent and loud. A theatre manager friend of mine said that the print itself is extremely loud and many theaters are not properly accounting for it, so I recommend some sound dampening devices (the small pieces stripped napkins worked perfectly for me). This movie is PG-13 for a reason, and I do not recommend it for kids younger than that.
I managed to avoid most reviews for this movie, but I still read a few too many. And my response is the same as the Star Wars III reviews -- they are all overrated. Really, don't believe the hype of those fanboys out there.
Batman Begins is not "the Best superhero movie ever", and it certainly not "setting a new bar for superhero movies".
What it is, however, is an excellent drama that is disguised as a superhero movie.
~Theodore Lerell
Review Summary