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Batman Begins 9.5 out of 10
Running time: 2:20 MPAA rating: PG-13 (Intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements.) Peruvian rating: Mayores de 14
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer.
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Photography:
Wally Pfister |
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For the record, I liked Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. They’re dark, serious, gothic and yet very entertaining. Their problem? Burton and his team seemed more interested in developing the villains – Jack Nicholson’s Joker, Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman – than in creating a compelling Batman/Bruce Wayne. They’re really great movies, but there was something missing in them. Alas, Warner Bros. didn’t seem to like Burton’s vision, and thus created the travesties that were the Joel Schumacher films, Batman Forever and, especially, Batman and Robin, one of the worst comic book flicks ever made. The latter was a flop, and for years, it looked as if the Batman franchise was dead.
Enter Christopher Nolan. The man made one of my favorite movies of all time – the amazing and intelligent Memento – and, although at the beginning it didn’t look as if he were the “perfect” choice for making a Batman movie, Warner Bros. nevertheless had him shoot Batman Begins. Their plan worked. Batman Begins is one of the greatest comic book films I’ve ever seen – if not the best, since it gives the original Superman a run for its money – and the ultimate Batman flick. Unlike the Schumacher travesties, this movie is actually intelligent and compelling, both a character study and an action movie. Batman is dark without being overly-stylish; action-packed without being dumb, and deep and interesting without being “too” artsy. If you though the likes of X-Men or Spider-man 2 were cool comic book flicks, you just wait until you see what Batman Begins has to offer.
Batman Begins tells the story of billionaire Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who is rescued from an Asian prison by the mysterious Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Bruce, who has been haunted by memories of seeing his parents get killed when he was little, has been traveling around the world, picking fights with thieves and criminals until Ducard offers him to become a member of the League of Shadows, the organization created by Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), dedicated to restoring "balance" to a world filled with criminals, killers, rapists and kidnappers. Under Ducard’s training, Bruce becomes into a weapon, a man who understands the arts of the ninjas, the power of fear and anger and the lack of compassion. In the end, though, Bruce escapes from the League of Shadows, so he can return to his native Gotham City and fight the crime there. He returns to his father’s company, and is aided by his faithful butler, Alfred (Michael Caine); an inventor named Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman); one of the city's few good cops, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman); and childhood friend and potential love interest Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). Bruce decides to fight crime in Gotham and bring justice, but not as Bruce Wayne, but as an image, an icon called Batman. At first, he has to villains to face, the city's crime lord, Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) and a demented psychiatrist who calls himself The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), but there’s more to them that he initially thought.
The best thing about Batman Begins is that it manages to be both intelligent and viscerally entertaining. The movie deals with profound themes such as the power of anger and the creation of fear, and the audience gets to understand the motivations behind Bruce Wayne’s quest for justice. We see how the character of Batman is created, how his gadgets are fabricated, and how he gets his Batmobile and his cave. It’s enthralling to see how everything’s created, and Nolan and his team manage to make everything look believable. Unlike the stylish, neo-noir ventures of past, Batman Begins is a gritty, realistic flick. Action sequences are expertly-shot and generate tension, and special effects are low-key. CGI is used to a minimum, since Nolan prefers to use practical effects such as models and real-life explosions. All this makes the movie look more connected to our real world than other comic book flicks.
Most of the performances are great, and elevate the film in ways the previous Batman flicks couldn’t achieve. Christian Bale is the ultimate Batman, muscular, intelligent and believable. His character is three-dimensional and likable, and since the audience understands his motivations and his back-story, it’s really easy to root for him. Additionally, he looks great in the Batman costume and, unlike, for example, George Clooney, he doesn’t look like a friggin’ robot with rubber nipples. He makes Batman a character, not a piece of costume. Supporting performances are, for the most part, as good as Bale’s performance. Actually, it’s amazing to look at the amount of talent involved with the flick. There’s Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy… and they’re all great. They make their characters believable and compelling and well-developed. The only one giving a lackluster performance would be Katy Holmes as Rachel Dawes. I have no idea why Nolan decided to hire her for the part, but she’s not as good as the rest of the thespians. There’s very little chemistry between her and Bale, and her character is underdeveloped and flat.
Batman Begins is a great movie, definitely one of the most compelling, entertaining, smart, intense and realistic comic book films of all time. It’s amazing how the franchise has evolved – for good obviously – and, having seen this flick, it’s also pretty amazing to watch Batman and Robin and realize how crappy, cheesy and vomit-inducing that “film” is. Batman Begins is the ultimate Batman movie, a flick that manages to provide with interesting and three-dimensional characters, great, realistic-looking action sequences, an interesting and profound plot that deals with themes related to anger and fear, and great performances by most of the cast. Bale is the best Batman ever, and Batman Begins is the best Batman movie ever. I just can’t wait to see the sequel, this year’s The Dark Knight, also directed by Nolan, and featuring most of the cast of this film. (Except Holmes! Yay!) If TDK manages to be at least half as good as this movie, I’ll be happy.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - Star Wars Epica