"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, August 21, 2015

Batman Begins (2005, PG-13)

While, in the ten(!) years since it was released, I’ve encountered plenty of superhero films that I think are better made and more entertaining, The Dark Knight trilogy is still pretty great.  It has a vibe that’s very much its own, and the to-die-for cast anchors the films beautifully.  This movie gets the franchise off to a fine start

This being Batman’s origin film, it is, of course, the classic story.  Billionaire Bruce Wayne, whose parents were murdered in a street crime when he was very young, creates an iconic symbol to serve as a force of justice in corrupt Gotham.  As he develops the skills, image, and technology needed to become Batman, he encounters a ruthless group of arbiters called the League of Shadows and turns his attention to a plot going down at Arkham Asylum.

I’ll start with the cast, ‘cause come on!  There’s Liam Neeson as Bruce’s mentor, whose ideology doesn’t always align with his protégé’s.  There’s Morgan Freeman as a wry tech expert with all the best toys.  There’s Cillian Murphy (in the role that made me take notice of him) as a psychologist with unsavory “treatment” practices, playing the part with almost gentle menace.  There’s Michael Caine as the devoted Alfred, at times Bruce’s only tether to anything outside vigilante crime-fighting.  There’s Gary Oldman as the last honest cop in Gotham.  Just for the heck of it, there’s Tom Wilkinson and Ken Watanabe, and at the center of it all is of course Christian Bale’s Bruce.  His over-the-top gravelly Batman voice earns him some ridicule, but Bale brings the man, the hero, and the persona he adopts to life with precision and care.

For the most part, I like the gritty, grounded feel of the film.  Since Batman doesn’t have actual superpowers (and his tech, while impressive, isn’t out-of-this-world impressive like Iron Man,) it makes sense that his movies are less straight-up comic-booky, and the inglorious Gotham setting lends itself to less outlandish goings-on.  Having now seen/loved so many films that embrace the genre, The Dark Knight trilogy feels a little self-conscious at times, like it’s trying too hard to say, “See?  It’s a comic book movie, but cool!  However, I appreciate that its more accessible approach was probably instrumental in allowing comic book movies to become more mainstream and get a little wilder.  I also like how purposeful Bruce is in the development of Batman’s signature style.  He’s not dressing up as a bat just cuz; he intentionally uses theatricality to confuse and distract his enemies, and he wisely keeps to the shadows, relying on short bursts of lightning-fast attacks that, in addition to taking out the bad guys, make them fear him.

I will say, though – this time around, I got tired of the anvils about how corrupt Gotham is.  So many lines begin, “In a town this bad…” or “In a town like this…”  Again, it seems self-conscious, like it doesn’t trust that it’s getting the point across.  Plus, while rubber-stamped potential-love-interest Rachel has some rootable qualities – like Bruce, she’s driven by a desire for justice, and she demonstrates both courage and practicality – she doesn’t quite come together for me.  I’m not sure how much of it is Katie Holmes’s muted performance and how much is the character; I’ll report further when I rewatch her in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s hands in the next film.

Warnings

Heavy comic book violence, thematic elements, some disturbing images, drinking, and smoking.

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