“I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one is just… poison in your veins.”
While they make for entertaining spectacle, comic book movies, especially as of late, often forget about crafting enduring iterations of iconic characters. Worse still, some of these films come and go without a hint of emotional resonance, simply going through the motions whenever its over-worked VFX artists are afforded a break from helming action sequences. After two successful feature films that cemented him as a must-watch director, Batman Begins was the world’s introduction to the resonant, moving spectacle that Christopher Nolan excels at.
History
After the critical disaster and commercial disappointment of Joel Schumacher’s 1997 film Batman & Robin, the caped crusader’s place in cinema was uncertain. Schumacher’s vision for a subsequent film, Batman Unchained, was scrapped, while a script inspired by Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns also failed to come to fruition. The series of false starts doesn’t end there, with a scripted Batman vs. Superman project also never being realised.
The years-long gap in the Batman universe led to the hastily-made Catwoman, which had the impressive feat of being even less critically and commercially successful than Batman & Robin. On the one hand, this meant that even a halfway decent reinvention of Batman would have been an improvement on its current standards. At the same time, a miracle needed to occur for fans of the iconic hero to be won over after almost a decade of cinematic disappointment.
Importance
Batman Begins is arguably the most fun entry in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, landing squarely in the intersection between emotive cinema and comic book entertainment. While Batman (Christian Bale) is portrayed in a more grounded light, nemeses like Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) are delightfully outlandish, while still retaining the trademark gritty appeal that its director’s take on Batman would become known for. Gotham is at its best when this eponymous hero is exploring its grime, overcrowding and rampant criminality in the dead of night. Whether it’s tenement buildings teeming with life or eerie silences permeating its streets, this city is remarkable on the big screen in Nolan’s envisioning.
Batman Begins is also one of the most well-cast comic book movies. It is impossible to imagine anyone except Michael Caine in the role of Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s trust butler, an ingenious casting move. Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman are also pitch-perfect as Lucius Fox and Jim Gordon, respectively. Katie Holmes may have been replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight, but that doesn’t mean there are any issues with her performance here as Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend Rachel Dawes.
Of course, one can’t praise this film’s acting without mentioning Bale’s iconic interpretation of the caped crusader. While he is more convincing as a billionaire playboy than a tormented figure who beats up criminals in the night (Robert Pattinson is the finest Batman in this respect), it is a pleasure to witness the starting point of one of many stellar performances from the English actor.
Murphy, who auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman, was admired by Nolan for his intensity, leading to his success in taking on the role of Scarecrow. His outlandish line delivery wonderfully taps into the cheesier elements of Nolan’s first Batman outing, cementing a smooth transition from comic book theatrics to the darker tone of the trilogy’s subsequent entries.
Legacy
Rightly so, Batman Begins is fondly remembered as one of the few comic book films that feels like it was helmed by a true artist with a precise vision, instead of the made-by-committee feel that so many films of this genre fall prey to. It isn’t bogged down by clichés of the time period or poor CGI, having aged remarkably well for a mid-2000s movie featuring superheroes and villains duking it out in this fictional city. The frequent motif of bats works on a visual and emotive level in this tale of confronting one’s fear and anger in an attempt to transcend these emotions. And who could forget the tumbler, one of the most iconic vehicles in comic book cinema history?
Conclusion
From its practical effects to immaculate set pieces, Batman Begins remains a visual marvel in the DC universe. Christopher Nolan excels at cohering large-scale action set pieces around emotive dramas, with this film providing the ideal starting ground to begin to perfect his craft. Just over two decades since its release, Batman Begins still holds up as an entertaining, accomplished film with memorable villains, iconic imagery, and impressive action.
The official ScreenAge Newsletter has arrived! Subscribe to receive a semi-regular round-up of all our exclusive content, including reviews, editorials, Top 100 lists, and more! C'mon, we know you want to venture further into the Wasteland with us!