I went to see this last night at the advanced screening with no small amount of trepidation. As a childhood fan of the comic books, and later on of the graphic novels, I was nervous at the prospect of a repeat of the god-awful and obnoxious Batman and Robin, a film which seemed less about the adaptation of the legend, and more a vehicle for big budget Hollywood actors in spangly Day-Glo uniforms.

Thankfully, not only was I not dissapointed, I was completely thrilled. Here we have the beginnings of the Bat, rendered with a true-to-original plot, and a pared down, grittier edge. The glam and guff have been stripped away to allow the story to speak for itself. Gone are the cheesy set pieces and hammy villains, replaced by a lot of substance and some genuine questions about the nature of violence and revenge.

By now, we all know the story; billionaire Bruce Wayne's parents were killed when he was a child, and this event has filled his life with bitterness, and a need to come to terms with his own personal darkness. This movie actually shows you that process, Wayne's quest for an answer, and the steps that eventually lead him to adopting the role of the Batman, and most importantly, why. Nothing here is taken for granted, and it works wonderfully.

I particularly enjoyed the way in which the objects of his 'superhero-ness'are explained - from the origin of the Batcave, right down to where he gets the suit from. Morgan Freeman as the Wayne Foundation's leading scientist helps to fill in the gaps admirably. In fact, no actor here is wasted, from Rutger Hauer's corporate evil, to Michael Caine's excellent turn as ubiquitous butler Alfred.
Even Katie Holmes, she of Dawson's Creekfame, surprises with a well acted part as district attorney and Wayne's childhood friend. Gary Oldman as the burnt out cop Gordon, looking for a way to redeem his crime ridden city, is near perfection, and re-establishes the graphic novel's true relationship between him and the Batman. Basically, everything is understated, so when the action sequences happen, they absorb you entirely, just as they should.

Overall, as an action film with heart and soul, I cannot reccomend Batman Begins enough. It vindicates the entire genre, and puts the whole mythos back on track. Quite frankly, it pisses all over the previous movies (with the exception perhaps, of Tim Burton's first effort), and promises even better to come.

The Bat, at last, is back. This time, let's hope it's for good.

JB

Great review, what I was hoping to read. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to see this until after pay day. First week in July, I'll be there though.

You know, when I first heard about this project I was appalled, “please not another prequel,” “damn George Lucas all to hell for starting the trend, Starwars, Startrek, now Batman, what’s next James Bond?”

However, your comments Waxy, and those of others have encouraged me to give this movie a shot, because I so wanted Batman to his darker Burton roots…

Grinder

I think you'll get your wish, though personally, I think Batman Begins is the best Bat movie so far, by a country mile. Burton's gothic stylings were good, but the screenplay still played havoc with the storyline. The Joker as the murderer of Wayne's parent's? A short, podgy Joker at that, instead of the pencil-faced villain of the comic books? And don't get me started on the patchy sequel, with all it's gross warping of the original story. Catwoman as madwoman? Penguin as mutant? Not needed. Not needed.

There is an authenticity to the new movies that have been previously passed up in favour of cliche comic-book flavouring, which I always found totally uneccessary.

Thankfully, the makers of this new film seem to have agreed with me. They have saved the whole franchise from descending into celluloid kitsh, and ressurected the real story. For that, I salute them.

JB

Actually I was going to wait and see it on DVD, but you just might have convinced me to go and see it at the cinema…

Grinder

Oh, definitely see it on the big screen. There's a terrific chase scene you won't want to miss.

JB

Good review, JB. I saw it today and enjoyed it on the whole, although I wasn't to taken by the early kicking-people-in-the-head scenes. Michael Caine was amusing throughout as Alfred, and the Jungian archetypes and exploration of fear gave the film a layer of depth that I wasn't expecting. The slogan: "It's not who you are underneath that counts, but how you act in the world" (sorry if that's misquoted, I can't quite remember) is still spinning around in my head. Food for thought.

Adele.

Great review James. Right on the button.

The best of the comic book heroes were just that -heroes. Nolan, rightly, pretty much ingnored the earlier films, took the story seriously and treated it with some respect.

As an aside: anyone who has seen Bale in The Machinist must marvel at the malleability of the human frame - makes Rene Zellweger look like a slouch in the diet department.

regards - more please

Zettel

I agree this has to be seen in the cinema, and the chase scene, with humorous asides from cops requesting descriptions of the rogue vehicle,is hilarious and as well as exciting. For someone whose special interest is Asian cinema, I was intrigued by the expository scenes showing how Batman learned to be a ruthless killer, the journey to the Buddhist temple clinging to the mountain side , echoing Chinese paintings and recent Asian landscape film settings, yet achieving a comic-book look. Batman's fluency in Chinese was an interesting twist, despite, as I've said elsewhere,the offensiveness of the causal racism, which assumes you'd have to go to Eastern philosophy couched in suitably crytic nonsense to learn the required degree of ruthlessness as well as kung-fu techniques. In the end, of course, it was the technology that was the decider.

Sheila

Thanks guys.

Yes, that's true, although an eastern influence has run through the comics for a while now. Raz Al Gul (or however you spell it) played by Liam Neeson in the film, is actually one of Batman's old adversaries - known as The Demon. In the comics, he is immortal, and I liked the way they played that aspect down.

JB

Oh, are the comics still in production? I somehow thought they had been discontinued. I suppose this is because I used to read copies owned by the boy next door in the fifties, and there's a shop near to where I live which sells second-hand American comics. I've seen a stand of graphic novels in Ottakers. Mmm...must investigate further, now my interest is re-engaged.

Sheila

The comics and the graphic novels are all having somewhat of a boom since the Tim Burton movies. Check out 'The Long Halloween' for a ripping Bat-yarn, or even better, the award winning Dark Knight Returns series by Alan Miller, in which Batman is over 50 and Gotham's gone to hell.

I think the best comic series (there are about four of five now) is Legends of the Dark Knight.

JB

OK. Thanks for this. They'll definitely make an antidote to 'Mao, the Unknown Story', which I've just got from the library. I was thinking he would make a good dark villain as depicted in the book, but remember I have already read a Mao graphic novel, in the 'Intoduction to...' series which deals with thinkers and concepts. I like the idea of writing a graphic novel myself, as I like to doodle, but they must take so long to do..

Sheila

<Added>

What I mean is, no point starting at my age.

As an aside: anyone who has seen Bale in The Machinist must marvel at the malleability of the human frame

Indeed, apparently the director (I don’t know who) had a very hard time convincing the producers to go with Bale as Batman, because at the time he was either filming The Machinist or had just finished and looked like a stick insect.
I can’t remember if this is true or not, but I seem to remember they said he lost and then regained something like 80 pounds!
If true that’s impressive, and dangerous I expect. Such dedication for ones art!

Grinder

This film is AWESOME. Saw it last night, blew me away.

The superbly brilliant Christopher Nolan is the director, and he is an absolute star, another shining example of Brits doing it best. Everything he touches is pure class, (check out Memento, his first success and a truly mad film) and this proves it, making even the Tim Burton ones look stylised and shallow.

Bale IS the Dark Knight. Forget Keaton and Kilmer! Can't wait for the next one, but saying no more as you have to go and watch this movie and find out!!