Retro Review: "BATMAN BEGINS"

Hey all,

I recently rented the "Batman Begins" DVD from my local Blockbuster since I'd been meaning to and I don't care for the current theater offerings.

I liked "Batman Begins" when it first came out and it's only deepened since, which is nice because it's more common for me to not like something on DVD/VHS after seeing it in theatres.

IMHO, Director Christopher Nolan has hit it out of the park. Being a genius of mystery and intrigue (MEMENTO, FOLLOWING, INSOMNIA), it shouldn't be that surprising. For those who haven't seen MEMENTO, a unique, yet brain-straining feature; suffice to say that Nolan is great with thought and suspense -- but action? What an exciting risk to employ. Personally, I think these risks pay off in spades. This is a film that cares a great deal for what is going on inside the Bat-Man's head; the action is more of an accent.

Director Nolan did a fantastic job of directing this, all of the performances are top notch, the pacing is smooth as silk, and the atmosphere is right on target. If I had one complaint it would be that he plays it almost too safe, there isn't a single memorable shot in this film or a moment where you go "WOW!!!" or "COOL!" and the
action sequences were too pedestrian.

The fight scenes are shot close in; Nolan seems to have made a conscious decision not to compete with other more "martial arts" hand-to-hand action flicks. His action scenes are dark, the sounds and movement jeer a chill or more accurately -- fear.

Co-written with David S. Goyer (scribe of the mostly dismal BLADE trilogy), "Batman Begins" is anything but cartoony, this new film is serious, real, and most of all BELIEVABLE.

Never once do you not believe that this world exists, that Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is not a real person, that the young Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) isn't honest, that Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) isn't an idealistic, earnest Assistant District Attorney. The cast in this film all did an amazing job. They understood the material, and took it seriously -- the way it's meant to be.

Nolan's approach is born out in the title, taking Bruce Wayne back to his childhood before guiding him into the formation of his double identity. The film still resides in a nether world, one stuck in a comic book sensibility yet real enough to gain and hold viewer interest.

Nolan breaks the first part of his film into several story segments, as he relates Bruce Wayne's childhood, his eventual alienation and withdrawal from society, and his reclamation as a noble warrior and crime-fighting crusader. By using this framework, Nolan not only can draw an in-depth portrait of a troubled man confronting his fears, but he can also underline what the film is about, that is, Batman's origins and eventual transformation.

As a result, the film witnesses the evolution of Batman's costume, cape, car, cave, and more, all smoothly integrated into the story without calling undue attention. Nolan makes it fun, and darn interesting, to watch how everything comes together to make this new creature.

This early part also sets up Batman's eventual battles against Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), Wayne's early mentor who rescues him from an Asian jail and starts him on his warrior training in a league of shadowy ninjas, who fight evil-doers by being avenging angels.

Nesson, who has played the wise mentor figure several times in recent years, gives Wayne several great tips like: "Always be aware of your surroundings" and "To conquer your fear, you must become fear."

When Ducard and Batman end up enemies, it sets up the later, big battle scenes back in Gotham.

Everything shifts from Bruce Wayne's childhood and his eventual Asian travels to his return to Gotham, his exposure to the growing crime problem, and his integration into society as well as his father's corporate world. Nolan relies heavily on computer-generated effects for this second part, delivering a doomed vision of a dark city, populated by unemployment, corporate crime, corrupt police, crime
lords, and, of course, bats.

In the final part, doomsday arrives, as various forces conspire to overtake the city with only Batman and perky assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes to thwart them. This apocalypse befits the film's comic book origins, looking artificial but nevertheless harrowing.

Nolan's mood-setting with terminally ominous atmospherics are greatly aided by the often thunderous music score, supplied by two of Hollywood's most noted craftsmen, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. In listening to the highly complementary score, it's fun to try and pick out which composer did which scenes.

The nice thing about this film, is that it actually gives us a look at Bruce Wayne's parents. When they die we actually care, because we get to know these people. Bruce's relationship with Rachel is complicated, she was their maid's daughter and they were close friends as children, but grew apart after the death of his parents.
She becomes a crusading Assistant DA and doesn't like the fact that Bruce doesn't seem to care about the world around him.

Since he's not too well known to general movie audiences, Christian Bale works out passably well as the latest Batman, despite his near total lack of emotion and over-fondness for whispering for effect. The superb supporting cast adds strength to what could have been throwaway roles. Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Linus Roache and Morgan Freeman inject believability if not prestige into their parts. Michael Caine plays dedicated servant Alfred with just the right amount of whimsy but never indicates he's doing anything but taking it all seriously. Katie Holmes was passable, but she won't be missed in the upcoming DARK KNIGHT. I can hardly wait to see who'll be the new Rachel.

In my lights, Nolan has breathed new life into the Batman franchise, which the last couple of flicks did their best to beat down into campy mindlessness. Here's hoping Nolan keeps the magic with the DARK KNIGHT, which is due out on July 18, 2008.