There’s something about a Batman movie. Not all of them – like many I was appalled at Batman and Robin. And I’m still not sure what was going on with Batfleck.
Still, those instalments have their fans. One of the great things about Batman is a version of him exists for everyone. But I’m here to talk about just one – Christian Bale’s take from Batman Begins, which turns 15 this year!
All this time later, what did movie mastermind Christopher Nolan bring to the table? How did Batman Begins make its mark on Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s enduring legend? 15 years on, do the results stand the test of time? Let’s venture into the streets of Gotham and find out. Whatever you do, don’t drink the water…
Firstly, a bit of personal stuff. Going back in time to when I was a teenager, I went to see Tim Burton’s Batman 13 times in 1989. With my Mum. Unlucky for some, but very rewarding for us! When Batman Begins came out, I made multiple trips to the local cinema. It was too darned fascinating to ignore.
As I said, there’s something about a Batman movie. I don’t read the comics much. Generally, I prefer movies of comic books/graphic novels to the source material. Could be because they look like storyboards waiting to spring to life? I don’t know.
Nolan was majorly inspired by the books for sure. However, Batman Begins feels like a crime drama rather than a DC special. For a larger than life location such as Gotham, the place seemed strangely normal. Which is one of the movie’s key ideas – it reintroduces Bruce Wayne’s origin story, but also shows us the city before everything went nuts and people started donning costumes.
Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer present a realistic portrait of an unequal urban environment. The way things finally tip over into madness is surprisingly practical, and these scientists of the screen take us step by step through the process.
Two stories develop as the film unfolds. Wayne’s journey from vengeful youth to calculating crimefighter being the first. Bale’s “hero” isn’t a wealthy playboy with some wild idea of turning himself into a bat.
Well yeah, he is. The trick Nolan pulls is convincing you this is an achievable life goal, and a convincing chain of events to boot. In one of the movie’s brilliantly matter-of-fact moves, Bruce and butler Alfred (Michael Caine) discover they have to order their cowls from a supplier in bulk.
Before he can climb aboard the Batmobile (that in this universe resembles something from Desert Storm), Bruce must navigate the stuffy board members of his family business. These include Rutger Hauer’s slippery CEO, who gets into a corporate tussle with tech wiz Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Batman Begins’ focus on minor details like this makes a big difference in the overall picture.
Second, there’s the fanatical scheme of Ra’s al Ghul – played by an eerily calm Liam Neeson – and the League of Shadows. They sound fantastical, but their aims aren’t a million miles away from a typical terrorist group.
Neeson’s villain seeks to raze this out of control society to the ground through the water supply, using a weapon of mass destruction in order to begin again. Bale and Neeson’s paths then collide for that spectacular train-based climax.
Perhaps the ace up Nolan’s sleeve is Michael Caine. If anyone represents the level-headed, no-nonsense, back to basics approach of Batman Begins it’s him. He’s on hand to keep Master Wayne on the right track. And he does a bloody good job of summarizing the Joker’s modus operandi – or lack of it – in 2008 follow up The Dark Knight.
Watching the film again after a few years, there are things that really work and some things that don’t. Chief among chin-scratching moments is Batman himself! Even the most realistic take on the Caped Crusader must show the title character becoming a giant rubber bat eventually.
Bale’s outfit is more practical than most, but not too far removed from Batman’s past. There’s just no way he could get about in such a bulky ensemble, cape flapping behind him like a Goth’s bath towel. Having said that, he looks the business. His super gravelly voice may sound a little ludicrous to me, but hey he’s Batman, not Popeye Doyle.
In terms of other comic book fares, the flick it reminds me most of is 2000’s X-Men. Both are fairly low key, given their colourful origins. The storytelling is straightforward and powerful. Yet like X-Men, Batman Begins is a chunky appetizer rather than a movie-shaped main course.
They never capitalized on that first X-Men for me. Probably why I figured Batman Begins might be better left alone at the time. Of course, Nolan knew exactly what he was doing, delivering a masterclass 3 years on in the form of The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s Joker.
If Part One was about preserving order, then Part Two brought it face to face with pure, undiluted chaos. A logical next step that was all about the anarchy. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) was fine but couldn’t hope to fill the void left by Ledger’s passing.
It took a few years, and the director of The Hangover, to recapture that magic care of Joaquin Phoenix’s j. Todd Phillips and co dazzled us all by proving you didn’t need Batman to make a great Batman movie.
Upcoming is Matt Reeves’ The Batman, casting Robert Pattinson as the latest incarnation. Will this hark back to Nolan’s trilogy? Shoot photos show a heavy-duty Dark Knight, with a cowl more army issue than pencil and ink.
Tim Burton’s legacy is acknowledged. The diminutive Pattinson echoes Michael Keaton in the title role – Burton wisely figured a muscle-bound brick shithouse wouldn’t require body armour and a warped sensibility to get the job done.
Overall, Reeves seems to be taking a nuts and bolts approach. The director has spoken of his focus on Bruce Wayne as a detective, rather than an acrobatic skull buster. Though I’m sure there’ll be plenty of the latter too.
If The Batman takes it cue from Batman Begins, can it really add anything that Christopher Nolan hasn’t already explored? Nolan set a benchmark of cinematic excellence with his stunning opener slash reboot.
Burton deserves credit for bringing Batman to the big screen after a lot of behind the scenes wrangling. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissing the great man. His two movies are classics, though they definitely have their detractors – in particular Batman Returns (1992). This Expressionistic and indulgent blockbuster had a rough ride from some, though personally, it’s my pick of the bunch.
What Nolan achieved, which no-one else managed, was to put the Dark Knight in a higher movie bracket. At last, the franchise had a payload of critical acclaim to go with the cool characters and setting. In a way, he made the whole deal respectable.
Do we need a respectable Batman? That’s a question for another article. We certainly got a definitive screen version back in 2005… it’s what Nolan did that defined him.
