I didn’t even realize it was time for Batman Begins to debut. Aren’t all Batman films preceded by 12 weeks of omnipresent Burger King tie-in ads?
The absence of such gross merchandising is just one of many signs that this Batman film is going to be good. Marketing “Batman Begins” would be like including “Requiem For A Dream” prizes in a Happy Meal or putting “Sling Blade” on a collectible glass. It’s just not that kind of film. “Batman Begins” is a wonderful achievement of filmmaking, not a popcorn movie. A work of art, not a thrill ride.
The 1989 Batman movie did many things right in terms of the look and feel, including the Danny Elfman score, but it still had obvious flaws. Batman Begins is thus best defined by all the ways it sheds the flaws of the earlier films.
To wit:
There are no scene-stealing gloryhound villains played by budget-busting Hollywood bigwigs; the villains serve their purpose in Batman’s movie. The “love interest” does not appear to be there because Bob’s Book of Scriptwriting said, “INSERT LOVE INTEREST;” the woman is there because she serves a pivotal point in Batman’s life.
And Batman doesn’t kill. Not only doesn’t he kill people, but he makes a specific point about it. This is a welcome change from the Batman who bombed a factory, dropped thugs off belltowers, incinerated henchmen with his vehicle’s rockets and stuck dynamite down a guy’s pants.
The music is functional but unmemorable, lacking in any kind of noteworthy theme, but it’s still way better than having Prince warbling songs for a totally inappropriate soundtrack album.
I attended an early screening of Batman Begins at my local IMAX theater, courtesy of The Source in Falcon Heights, MN. Unfortunately, I’d had an even earlier peek. See, a year ago someone sent me a copy of the script which had been floating around the web and said it was an awesome read. Thinking it was just one of those fake fan-scripts pretending to be the real thing, I read it. Then all the trailers hit with lines that I recognized from the script and I realized that I’d just had the entire movie spoiled for me. And there ARE some big spoilers. I wish I could blank out my memory and see it without any advance knowledge.
The script? Exceptional. The acting is superb and the casting is top-notch. There isn’t one moment of bad CGI or hokey dialogue.
What’s amazing about Batman Begins is that I am a Bat-fan willing to suspend my disbelief as to the basics of the Bat-mythos, but I don’t really have to. This is the first time it made sense that the city’s super-rich would be in an alley. Bruce’s pain and loss are palpable, and we can believe that he’d be on this quest even if his parents’ killer was brought to justice. (See, Chuck?) His gadgets are sensible and logical, those jags on his gauntlets make sense, and the Batmobile that last year seemed like it was a ridiculous tank is, in actuality, a sheer delight to watch. Batman even struggles to climb walls and make multi-story jumps, just the way a human being should.
Gary Oldman was credited as playing Jim Gordon, but that is in fact incorrect. Jim Gordon was instead played by the actual comic book character come to life. There is no way that that person is Gary Oldman. (Seeing Jim Gordon portrayed correctly made me even more regretful of the way the Commish was played in the four previous films.)
I loved this movie, and I wish my mind wasn’t shutting down at 2AM because I’d love to keep talking about it. As soon as I hit “SAVE” I’ll remember the dozen other things I wanted to say.
Are there any complaints? No. Just comic geek fanboy stuff, like wondering how come the police can’t follow the tank treads back to the Batcave, and when someone sets off a device that instantly vaporizes water I keep wondering, “Aren’t human beings 90% water?” But that’s such little stuff that I feel spoiled to even ask it.
2 responses to “Spoiler-Free Review: Batman Begins”
I agree, this film was in my mind exactly what it calls itself. All other Batman movies were wiped off the slate and from here on Batman begins. So dense and clever, all things justified by an internal logic, actual effecting performances, cool realistic gadgetry, no set-dresser fantasy creations, no wasted moments, no camp. All good.
I’ve read reviews that say the love interest is not needed, yet so much important stuff was delivered by that part of the script and the movie never stayed there longer than was nessessary, all parts of the film carried just the right amount of weight. My only hope is that the same people involved in this production are going to want to stick around for the sequel. That’s a big ‘if’. I’d love to say more, this film deserves a lot of talk, there is so much in it, lots of layers. The first film ever to take the silly idea of a super rich guy dressing up as a bat and sneaking out at night to clobber bad guys and twist and turn that into a very believable piece of real cinema.
Hutch and DEZ wrote two of the best reviews of Batman Begins I’ve read yet, way to go, boys. I don’t understand Robby Reed’s comment about “no plot”.
One thing that struck me about this wonderful movie is they show that a capitalist can be, and is, a good guy rather than an “evil profiteer” or some other left-wing nonsense. The trend in film and TV is to make a businessman the cold, uncaring and ruthless villain with the hero fighting for the little guy. They do this in Smallville with the Evil Luthor Corporation, whith Lionel Luthor as the Evil CEO and Lex as his Evil Son. They stay in business by firing employees and closing down plants.
Bruce Wayne’s father was killed because he tried to placate a criminal instead of fight him. He was a Liberal Businessman with a naive view of his fellow man. After his journey of self-discovery Bruce Wayne lost his innocence and saw the way the real world works, what kind of people people really are. He doesn’t fight for the little guy or the big guy, he fights for Justice. If the little guy is being wronged, Batman will try to help him. If the rich guy is being made a victim, Batman will help him. Bruce Wayne’s fortune is a tool to be used for good or evil, being rich doesn’t define his character.
The strongest thread running through this movie is FEAR. Both Batman and Scarecrow use fear as a weapon and both have it turned against them. Bruce Wayne conquers his fear as a young man by addressing it, meeting it head on and accepting it as his ally. This is heavy stuff for a superhero movie and cements my view that Christopher Nolan is one of premier director’s of our time.