October 3rd, 2005
A review by Matt Kelly of
Batman Begins
So I saw Batman Begins this past Friday. I liked it. Actually, I loved it. My expectations couldn’t have been higher, and I was not disappointed. In fact, it was so dangerously close to what I would do with Batman that it was frightening (and for the curious, my movie would be four hours long and resemble The Animated Series to a ridiculous degree). Was it a perfect film? I’m afraid not. Ra’s reappearance was lame-oh, and they should have done waaay more with Falcone, and that’s just the obvious stuff.
I’ve tried to keep an open mind about others opinions, but I just don’t see some of the issues that others had. I’ve heard some complaints that the film went into too much detail, but I disagree. I feel that since Batman is such an off-the-wall character, extreme detail is needed to ground him in the film’s reality. Believable context is what keeps a film fresh, and I don’t think the imaginary world that Tim Burton created in 1989’s Batman has aged all that well. Also, some have said that Batman merely reacts to his situations. Please, let’s not confuse this with Batman Forever, where Bruce Wayne goes to a circus and brilliantly shouts, “HARVEY! I’M BATMAN” in a not-so-affective attempt to distract super villain Harvey “Two-Face” Dent. At least this Batman has a strategy and interrogates people, which is a lot more proactive than Kilmer or Keaton ever were (we’ll leave Clooney alone, me thinks).
I will agree, however, than the second half of the film doesn’t have the same *punch* that the first half does. The first half oozed story, character, and intrigue. The second half had the tension of any random action film, save the scenes with the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy giving another absorbing performance).
So what DID I love about this film? Christian Bale really was Bruce Wayne. I bought his conviction and I bought his drive. The only thing that took away from it was his relationship with Katie Holmes’ Rachel, who’s infatuation with Bruce just didn’t jive with her character (at the end she “loves” him? WTF?). And yet, this is the Batman at the beginning of his career, before he learns to harden his heart to protect the ones he loves. All of the other actors do outstanding work with their characters, and I’d love to see them all return for the sequel (save Holmes).
But you know what *really* sold this movie for me? The tone. From frame one, Nolan knew who Batman was, what Gotham looked like, and how everything should be represented. Now giving us Batman action really isn’t that hard- you almost have to try to make the suit look stupid. The ears and the cape are just inherently awesome. The real challenge, as Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher can attest to, is creating a believable Bruce Wayne. Christopher Nolan does this. I think the scene that really sold it for me was when Bruce leaves the hotel and runs into Rachel. In the background we here his European friends beckoning him to their convertible, and Bruce can’t seem to understand why Rachel doesn’t get that what he’s doing all an act. To me, this IS early Bruce Wayne, the Wayne who is just beginning to realize that even with his dozens of buxom playmates, he’s going to be alone and tired, with out real connections with real people (that’s why his relationship with Selina eventually becomes so important). In this sense, it’s a shame that they give Bruce the girl at the end. So what if it would crib a little bit from 2002’s SPIDER-MAN? Bruce needs real angst if he’s going to be interesting. You can’t reward him for a job well done, because it will never be finished!