Batman Begins Review

May 26, 2005

There is a huge problem with Batman Begins...

I'm going to have to stop humming that Danny Elfman theme.

There have been some interesting movies made from "graphic novels." The material is generally more literary and less comic book and the filmmakers they attract are often art house types. Bravo. Ghost World kills.

But Batman Begins is the first comic book movie that is a truly a movie first and a comic book second. And with it, Christopher Nolan announces that he is a made man in the family of the very top filmmakers in the world today.

The thing that is most remarkable about Batman Begins is that it has so much goofy comic stuff to show off... but you never feel like it's about the stuff. This movie is loaded with really fine actors, like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine and Gary Oldman and Liam Neeson and Rutger Hauer.... but you never feel like they are chewing scenery, which is often what they are called on to do in other films. It's not exactly Shakespeare either... but they bring what Nolan & Goyer & Company are clearly trying to bring to the genre... stable, solid grounding.

Batman Begins is the kind of movie that will have fans arguing about their favorite sections. Are they into the first act of training and flashback? Do they get goosebumps thinking about the process of Batman's development in Gotham? Or is it the relentless action of the third act?

The bat cowl is a little funny on Christian Bale's face, but he is the most serious Batman ever. And Katie Holmes is very Dr. Claire Lewicki... if you know what I mean... in almost every way.

It is a bit of an art and commerce clash... this film will thrill the base of fans, but will it be as accessible as Spidey? Unlikely. And some journos will likely crap all over the movie if it only does $600 million worldwide. And that sucks. Warner Bros. did the right thing... they made a terrific movie first... a movie that redefines the genre in its own way... which makes the nostalgia for Tim Burton's take even stronger, while allowing us to enjoy this one every bit as much. Like the comics, it is a real rethink by a fresh-eyed artist. But I don't think my mom is going to make it to this one... and that's good. Batman Begins is a very commercial film that isn't emasculating itself to find every marketing quadrant. Hallelujah.