Review of Batman Begins (2005) by Jude K — 05 Mar 2014

After the success of Memento, Christopher Nolan's directing opportunities widened and led him to direct Insomnia. The film was in a way a transition from the indie styles of Memento and Following to the Hollywood summer films like Inception and Batman Begins. Due to Insomnia reasonable success, studios have gained faith in Nolan, therefore giving him the role of creating the Batman reboot. There must have been a lot of pressure on Nolan from the studios in making this film as the previous two Batman films didn't do so well and the studios really wanted this to be successful, but there probably was also pressure coming from himself as Nolan wanted to do the franchise justice and make it appealable to everyone; not just to the hardcore comic book fans. The film came out and Nolan did do justice for the franchise and started a new era of comic book films. I personally respect Nolan's efforts in making all that happen but I cannot give the film the praise that is now generally attached with it because there were aspects of it that brought it down and time has not treated this film well.

The film's screenplay was written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan. They have given us a new perspective of the Batman character, taking a much more realistic and darker approach to the story and stripping away the campy and cheesy stylings that were found in previous films in the franchise. Clearly the writers have taken more influence from the recent constructs of the Batman narratives, as the contemporary approaches to the character have been a bit more edgy and relatable to the current time period. Goyer and Nolan have written a story that touches on themes of Corruption, Justice, Revenge and Fear. The film is very clear about their themes and it does sometimes feel too in your face, but at least the film has them; it gives the film a needed depth and exploring sides of the mythology that has yet been covered in film. I do commend the writers for giving the character a real reason for doing what he does, not just for the sake of doing it, while still keeping in line with the film's mythology. Out of the three Batman Nolan films, this film is probably the most similar to it's comic book roots as there are quite a few throwbacks to the comics, ranging from multiple stories and sources. I think this was due to Goyer being involved with the writing. Though I did like the strong connection it had with the comics, I also felt that this film is the worst in regards to story as it just wasn't that all exciting; It's even more obvious now that I have seen the sequels to this film. I think Goyer's contribution was more to the protagonist's back story and it's connection with the main storyline and Nolan was more involved with the film's themes on corruption and justice/revenge; themes that are also found in his previous film, Memento. The film's main strengths are mostly found in the second-third act of the film as it spends more time in Gotham and explores the more contemporary ideas behind it. The film's first act is not even close to being as great when compared to it's subsequent acts. The issue is that the film just puts us in the deep-end with the League of Shadows idea, which in my opinion needed a lot more explanation in order for it to be enjoyable. At the same time it gives us a series of flashbacks, but that was at least more enjoyable than the protagonist's training, and it was able to explore Bruce Wayne's past. I think the film would have benefited taking a more linear approach to it's story and take it's time with it, instead of establishing itself too quickly. The film features quite a disappointing villain as he never felt like a threat up close; his plans are quite diabolical and I do feel a threat towards the situation but when he is up against Wayne intimately, it never came off as intimidating. I did however enjoy seeing the supporting roles in this film, as they never felt unnecessary but instead gave the city of Gotham to life and showed different shades of the city's citizens. The dialogue in this film was decent, I felt it was a bit too forced at times with it's themes and ideas; barely giving any room for lines aiding character development, particularly on the supporting roles.

The film was directed by Christopher Nolan and this is his 4th film. Batman Begins would be the start of a surge of influential and entertaining films, that placed Nolan in the most profitable and important filmmakers of this generation. After looking through most of his films, I have yet had the opportunity to watch Insomnia and Following, I consider Batman Begins as his most weakest film. It just lacked the complexity or spectacularism that is found in his strongest films. As I watched this, I kept seeing the potential of this being amazing but it just never executes perfectly throughout. Time has also not been kind to this film. As this film sparked the surge of comic book films being greenlit, and the more I watch them, the higher my expectation becomes on what comic book films should be like. When comparing this film to it's successors, it just feels weaker in it's story and it feels quite dated. The film's ambition can't quite match it's execution. Nolan has created this dark and seedy world that is Gotham and it is definitely a shift in tone, not only to the previous films within the franchise but also to the blockbuster releases during that time. I wasn't so impressed with the decision in having the film's backstory be told through flashbacks as it left me confused a couple of times and feeling broken from the main storyline. The action sequences in this film were average; relying too much on quick cuts in order to create that intensity, sacrificng the beauty of choreography. He was able to balance both action and story, not solely relying on one or the other in selling the film. Nolan was able to give us enough of character development for the protagonist in order for the audience to get hooked; it was the main reason why I keep coming back to this film.

The film's cinematography was handled by Wally Pfister. Pfister and Nolan wanted this film to be dark and grimier than it's predecessors, while at the same time grounding the film to reality. This approach gave the franchise and the genre a new direction in cinematography and production design. Batman Begins was one of the early indicators that shows the audience that it is possible for these heroes to live within our societies, and a lot of that had to do with the cinematography. Pfister and Nolan used as much opportunity as they can to include the city in order for it to become a character of it's own. During these sequences, Pfister gave the image a dirty look, employing a brown-ish palette, sometimes having it be filled with rain; this was to correlate with the film's theme of corruption. He was able to create this noir look for the film; shadows filling the scenes and creating that sleazy urban atmosphere. Pfister also goes back and forth with styles of shooting; some moments taking a more steady approach in it's shots and using slow zooms or dollies letting us in and out of characters, while during heavy action sequences, he employs a more hand held approach, but nothing close to the style used in Paul Greengrass' films. I usually favor action sequences that captures the enitre action and not rely too much on movement from the camera itself to create that feeling of intensity. Another issue I had was the choice of Nolan to use a soundstage for shooting certain parts of Gotham and mixing it with footage of a real city, as it makes the film feel incohesive; also the design of it feels a bit too exaggerated in it's dirtiness and sleaziness.

The film's score was composed by both James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. The decision of having both composers is beyond me, but I can definitely say what they have created here was quite good. Both composers have successfully created this epic sound/theme that is now imprinted in everyone's mind, well it was at least for me. The score creates this wonderful impact when the action sequences hit, though there are a couple of moments that felt a little predictable. The dramatic sequences couldn't hold it's ground when compared to the heavier and upbeat orchestral moments. The composers were also able to give the score a sense of weight to it, allowing the audience to take the film more seriously. When compared to it's sequels, this score just couldn't get the high marks.

The acting in this film was good but not great. The actors in this film felt like they were still trying to get comfortable with their roles, and Nolan wasn't entirely sure with what to do with them. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman was the best in regards to the film's acting; giving the role multiple layers and a sesne of seriousness, preventing this film from relying too much on it's thrills. Liam Neeson as Ducard was pretty bland, lacking in intimidation and that certain quality that makes a villain exciting to watch. Michael Caine was great as Alfred, being able to hit his comedic marks but also creating that sense of loyalty and compassion for his master. Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, was not as bad as I thought. Her face was child-like and cute enough for Bruce to be attracted to, reminding him that she is the only real beauty left from his childhood. Holmes' acting wasn't the best but it was better than the common pretty-faced actress. Gary Oldman as Jim Grodon was great as he definitely looked the part and he was able to differentiate himself from the corrupt cops he works with. Morgan Freeman as Lucius was decent but there wasn't enough screen time for him in order for me to judge his performance. Tom Wilkinson was pretty fun to watch, and I wish he had a lot more screen time as he really did make a presence when he was on screen.

Batman Begins may not be perfect, or even close to it, in my eyes but it has broken enough new ground that it becomes an essential watch.