Blockbuster: Batman Begins

space space space The Dark Knight

Story

Batman Begins is just that. The movie shows how Batman came into existance starting with the death of Bruce Wayne's parents when he was just a child. The reason for him choosing the bat as his symbol is also revealed, along with his fight training and other events that lead him to "dress up like a bat." Another good thing the movie does is show how and where Batman "gets those wonderful toys." Bruce Wayne is a billionaire with access to unlimited resources, but if he has some strange bat devices delivered to Wayne Manor, it could endanger his secret identity. I felt the film covered this very well, even though, it may have come straight from the comics. This origin/training covers the first thirty minutes of the movie. It is a little slow even though there is a sprinkling of action and comedy that should keep you entertained. Now Bruce becomes Batman and the movie kicks it up a notch.

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ace Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow spacepace Batman rescues Rachael Dawes


Villains

I was disappointed when I first heard that Scarecrow was going to be the villain in this movie. I didn't believe that he could stack up to the Joker, Penguin and Riddler from the comics and previous movies. I was pleasantly surprised at the quiet power of Dr. Crane and the intense menace of the Scarecrow. There were actually multiple villains in the movie, something that doesn't always work. Batman Begins works it out by having the villains be distrustful of each other and even use each other as pawns. This is more realistic than the bad guy love fest that was prevalent in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Supervillains want to be the one to take out the Batman or whatever hero is around. They are gloryhounds that don't feel the need to share the spotlight. I won't give too much away about the evil plot, but sufficed to say the villains want to harm Gothamites and pretty much destroy the city.

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(Clockwise from top left): Freeman as Lucius Fox, Caine as Alfred, Bale as
Bruce Wayne and Oldman as Lt. Gordan

Role players

Some of the best lines in Batman Begins are delivered by the minor characters. I am specifically talking about Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth and Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon. All three of these actors are top shelf headliners and take much smaller roles than normal. Lucius Fox is a scientist/inventor that works for Wayne Enterprises. He was good friends with Bruce's father and more than willing to allow Bruce access to his prototype inventions. Alfred Pennyworth becomes Bruce's primary caregiver after his parents are murdered and is honored to be chosen to look after Bruce. He is integral to the development and care of both Bruce Wayne's and Batman's personas. Lt. Gordon is an honest cop on a very dishonest police force. He does not take bribes, which makes the other cops nervous, until he explains the system is so corrupt that he wouldn't know who to tell if he wanted to tell someone. Gordon becomes Batman's only ally on a police force that wants to bring down the vigilante.

Review

I have to admit, I went into the movie with the wrong impression. First of all, except for the first Batman movie, I was not overjoyed with the franchise to date. Second, I did not have a good first impression of the new batmobile. The previous batmobiles, from movies and television, have all been souped-up sportscars. The "tumbler" from Batman Begins is more of a souped-up tank. Lastly, I have read some Batman comics, specifically Year One and Year Two which covers his early years beneath the cowl. Fortunately, I was informed the night before I saw the movie that it would be different from those trade paperbacks. The story follows the comics very closely. It was dark, it was funny and it was very good. The setup for the next film was excellent and it looks like the franchise may have been resurrected. The movie didn't do Spider-Man numbers, but it did big things opening weekend. I am very excited to see what happens to Batman next.