Summary:

As a boy, Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis) witnesses the murder of his parents and grows into an adult (Christian Bale) filled with volcanic rage and a thirst for revenge. As he travels the world, seeking an outlet for his fury, he encounters a mysterious stranger named Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), who trains him in the ways of a centuries-old secret society called The League of Shadows. When he returns to his home of Gotham City, Wayne is reborn as Batman and the adventure begins.

Steve says:

Like most of America, I had grown weary of the Batman franchise and had pretty much lost interest, even before director Joel Schumacher put nipples on the Bat-suit and dragged the premise lower than the Marianas Trench. But then one day, I heard that Christopher Nolan, the genius who wrote and directed MEMENTO, one of the most original and fascinating films ever, would helm the next installment. Since that day, I have awaited this movie.  I couldn’t wait to see what Batman would become in the hands of such a visionary artist. He did not disappoint.

BATMAN BEGINS is elevated far above the level of comic book movie. While Tim Burton’s BATMAN films were visually arresting and imaginative, they were still variations on a comic book. BATMAN BEGINS is laid out on a grand and epic scale, worthy of an original American legend and is played for real from start to finish.  It’s difficult to imagine how something as outlandish as a man in a rubber bat suit fighting crime can be played on the level of reality, but Nolan pulls it off, not only in the writing but in his visual rendering as well.

When we first see Gotham City, it is a striking cityscape, bright with the promise of a grand future. But with the death of civic leader Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s father, the city grows sick with rot and corruption. The contrast is striking and Nolan’s visuals are memorable, with the latter day Gotham resembling the decaying metropolis that Ridley Scott showed us in BLADE RUNNER.

 Nolan’s gift to the franchise is that, for the first time, we see just how scary a figure Batman can be. Even in the comic book incarnation of the character, the Batman mythos has told us that Bruce Wayne chose the image of a bat to instill fear in his enemies. But in most renderings of the character, he just hasn’t been all that fearsome. In fact, television’s Batman, Adam West, was more likely to throw a bad guy into paroxysms of laughter. This time out we see, for the first time, from the villain’s perspective just how truly frightening it would be to encounter the Dark Knight in a darker alley.

Christian Bale (AMERICAN PSYCHO. LITTLE WOMEN) has finally been given the star-making role he has long deserved. Bale is a member of that tiny AND exclusive club of child actors whose careers have endured past adolescence. Since his first major role in Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN, he has burned bright with promise and talent. It all pays off here for his dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Bale has leading man good looks with a ton of talent to back it up.

He is given strong support by such dependable stalwarts as Gary Oldman, portraying incorruptible cop Jim Gordon, the man who will be commissioner; Michael Caine as the Wayne family retainer Alfred; Liam Neeson portraying Batman’s mentor and Morgan Freeman in the role of inventor Lucius Fox. Fox is the designer of all of Batman’s cool crime fighting toys, including a truly kick-ass new version of the Batmobile.

The weak link in the film is Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes, Bruce’s love from childhood who grows into a crusading assistant district attorney. She lacks the voice and authority to match the heights that the other cast members achieve and seems way over her head here. She may have prompted Tom Cruise to jump up and down on Oprah’s couch proclaiming his love for her, but she left me cold. Quite simply, there was a lot more of Dawson’s Creek to her than Gotham City.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you liked the first four BATMAN films. You’ve got a much better chance of embracing this one. One fault with all of the prior efforts, including the first by Tim Burton, is that Batman was a supporting character to more colorful and outlandish villains like The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin and Mr. Freeze. Here, the Caped Crusader takes center stage, where he belongs; and because the role is played in total earnest, you are drawn into it on a very human level.

BATMAN BEGINS rates a solid five kernels from me. I would give it more if I could.

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