Favorite Franchises: Batman Begins

Batman Begins (2005)
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson
Directed by: Christopher Nolan


Now here's where things get tricky. I reviewed The Dark Knight, the SECOND installment in a trilogy as part of my 1001 Movies list nearly 3 years ago. So, there's no real need to touch base on that one again. If you wanted any modern thoughts, I would still tell you that it's one of my all-time favorite films to watch and one of the best films in modern history. But there's a lot more to this trilogy than just the second chapter. So, this weekend I'm going to tackle the first and third chapters, that way I have the entire trilogy reviewed before Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is released in March. With that in mind, Batman Begins. This was Warner Bros. big way of trying to return Batman to the big screen after completely wrecking the character's film legacy with Batman & Robin. Rather than trying to continue where they left off, they decided the strongest idea would be to reboot the story of the Caped Crusader, with a new director, a new leading man, and a much darker tone than we've seen before. The result is a film that definitely impressed people, but I think has fallen to the wayside over the last decade because everyone praises The Dark Knight. There's room for there to be more than one strong film in a trilogy. In fact, this trilogy has two. JUST two. But more on that next time. Let's look at what holds up in Batman Begins.

Christian Bale stars as the modern Bruce Wayne/Batman, and does a pretty good job with it. I just don't think he's my favorite. I've always been partial to Michael Keaton, but I will acknowledge Bale as a close second. I think he makes for a very compelling Bruce Wayne, but struggles a little bit when it comes to Batman. It's easy to mention how ridiculous his voice is, but in Batman Begins, it actually isn't noticeably raspy. At least, noticeably TOO raspy. In this film, we are given a true origin story that explains how Bruce Wayne evolved into becoming Batman, so we get to see many layers that Bale is able to bring to the role. I think that's why Bale really shines as Bruce Wayne and is only good as Batman. When he's Batman, it's nothing we haven't really seen before. We've seen Batman on the big screen and it really doesn't care who is behind the cape and cowl. Batman is the symbol and...sorry, I was dipping into some of the film's dialogue to create a metaphor. Anyways, Bale is the man who has played Batman the most on the big screen, so I have to give him credit for that, but I prefer his contributions to the character of Bruce Wayne.

Two of the characters that play the role of helping Bruce Wayne in his duties as Batman are Alfred Pennyworth, played by Michael Caine, and Lucius Fox, played by Morgan Freeman. Both do very well in their roles, which just comes naturally because they're two of the most experienced actors alive, but part of me can't detach them from their actors. I don't necessarily see Alfred and Lucius. I mainly see Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. Some people might take this as a knock on the cast, but trust me when I say this trilogy has one of the best casts imaginable, including Caine and Freeman.

One of the true highlights of the cast is Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. There's not a whole lot to say. He's one of my favorite character actors and fully transforms himself into the role of Commissioner (in this film Sergeant) Gordon. He shines the strongest in his scenes with Batman. You can tell that he really trusts the guy to save Gotham, and that he's one of the most morally sound people in Gotham that Batman trusts. Another cast member that I prefer in Batman Begins is Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Nothing overly great, but in comparison with what Maggie Gyllenhaal does with the role in The Dark Knight, I prefer Holmes. I can't quite put my finger on why, but it might be that I believe she would be someone that Bruce Wayne would want to be with. Gyllenhaal is more believable in her profession in the DA's office than Holmes is, but it's one of those pick and choose decisions. I think Holmes is the definitive Rachel simply because her romance with Bruce is the main focus of her character.

And the cast doesn't end there. We also have a great number of villains on display in Batman Begins. Cillian Murphy does a great job as the Scarecrow, but I wish he would have been used a little more once he puts on the mask. He's only in a few scenes in this film and regulated to mere cameos throughout the trilogy. The real villain standout of the film is *SPOILER ALERT* Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul. If you were watching the movie for the first time, it was probably a big surprise that Neeson was Ra's since we saw another high-profile actor, Ken Watanabe, play him during Bruce's training and Neeson was playing Bruce's mentor Henri Ducard. As we find out, the Ra's during Bruce's training was a decoy, and Ducard is the real Ra's. Watching that for the first time, that is quite a twist that I didn't see coming. Granted, I was 12 years old and not familiar with the character, so I bought it hook, line, and sinker. But there's probably a bunch of comic readers who saw it coming a mile away. Still, kudos for giving the casual viewers a shock with that reveal. Neeson is really good in this role, which shouldn't come as a surprise. He thrives in the mentor role, which is how we get to know him. And when he becomes the film's main villain, he steps into a place not many moviegoers are used to seeing him in a lot of the time, but I quite enjoyed seeing him as a villain.

I know a lot are quick to discredit some of the filmmaking decisions in this movie, like the quick edits and the shaky cam, but that's actually one of the elements I like about the film. It stands out against the Batman films we had seen before and has a look and tone of its own. Even in comparison with the sequels in the trilogy, that look so crisp and defined with its cinematography and locations, Batman Begins feels like a darker, grittier type of Batman film that hasn't been topped in tone. It's definitely underrated as far as mainstream comic book films are concerned, but it's been gaining some steam over time and is nowadays getting the recognition it deserves. I still think The Dark Knight is the best made film in the trilogy, but this is probably the entry that holds truest to being like an actual comic book adaptation. So I think that makes Batman Begins the Batman film we didn't need then, but the one we deserve.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

With all the love The Dark Knight gets, I wish a lot more people would give Batman Begins a chance. The origin story and the filmmaking techniques definitely hold the attention of the viewer, and I think this is the best entry in the trilogy for comic book purists. The film's style might seem a bit disjointed once you check out the sequels, but this is still one of the best Batman films I've ever seen and one I'll be watching a lot more often.

Batman Begins and movie images are copyrighted by Warner Bros.