Film
Review-------
Batman Begins
Reviewed by Alan Duncan
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Christopher Nolan
| Cast: Christian Bale .... Bruce Wayne/Batman Michael Caine .... Alfred Liam Neeson .... Henri Ducard Katie Holmes .... Rachel Dawes Gary Oldman .... Jim Gordon Cillian Murphy .... Dr. Jonathan Crane Linus Roache .... Thomas Wayne Morgan Freeman .... Lucius Fox |
Batman begins… and indeed, this is how the saga should have begun in the first place.
In this latest prequel to the Caped Crusader’s exploits we are once again taken back to his very roots, to the bosom of his family. I have to say that these sequences, especially those between the young Bruce and his father (Linus Roache from gay celluloid classic “Priest” ) engaged my emotions much more than the previous trip over this territory in the Michael Keaton lead prequel. Wayne senior is a true mentor and protector to his son. So when young Bruce sees his parents gunned down in the street by the psychopathic Chill, one can really empathise with his ensuing internalised anger and hate.
It is this anger that takes Bruce on a journey, both geographically and in personal growth. We catch up with him languishing in an eastern jail cell, where is anger and hate continues to get him into strife. His anger gets him noticed by Ducard (Liam Neeson) a representative of the “League of Shadows”. The league recruits and trains Wayne to use and focus his anger, with a view to making him a part of their self- appointed plan to destroy evil…. Starting with the physically and morally decaying Gotham (no longer known as Gotham “City“ here!)
It is this journey of discovery for Bruce, the sequences for which were stunningly filmed in Iceland, which consolidate his resolve to fight evil and places into perspective the reasons for his need to do so. He is faced with, not only a moral & ethical dilemma in the course of his training, but also a group of men willing to play God in deciding whether a city should live or die, based solely on one perspective of what represents evil. Sound familiar?
Christian Bale is probably the best thus far of the modern celluloid “Batmen“. The only one to come close was Kilmer but Mr. Bale is eminently more likeable, really looking the part of a multi national corporate heir (almost Bond-like!) and also having a nicely uncanny resemblance to Roach who played his father.
The other stand- outs were Michael Caine, who made a charmingly earthy Alfred and Morgan Freeman who played Lucius Fox, “M” to Bale’s Bond. The only possible piece of mis- casting is Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane, who seems a tad too young and pretty to credibly pull off the role of criminal psychologist cum villain. However, if you like a bit of intellectual eye candy, he may just do it for you.
The balance of the plot concerns the
plan to utilise a piece of obligatory techno-babble equipment
appropriated from the Research and development arm of Wayne
Enterprises, to vaporise the entire water supply of Gotham. The supply
has been laced with a powerful hallucinogenic to be released when
vaporisation takes place, the goal being the creation of paranoia, fear
and chaos across the city, allowing the League of Shadows to make its
move. But further spoilers I shall not give. Suffice to say that it’s a
sufficiently techno- babble-ish and convoluted plot to engage the
hardest core “anorak” in a nice couple of hours of disbelief
suspension! And it IS a long film at 2 ½ hours but I only
found myself getting conscious of the time once, during the climactic
car chase sequence, but then I always have been more a one for dialogue.
Visuals were used to good effect, but
effects were not overdone as I feared they could be. Gotham was
depicted impressively, but in a more plausibly modern fashion than the
previous cinema outings, less dark and forbidding.
All except “The Narrows” district that is, the location of Dr Cranes Hospital for the criminally insane, which was included to again give a plausible explanation for all the whacky villains to be encountered by the Batman in his subsequent adventures. The man who gunned down Bruce’s parents was “Chill”, no doubt a nice nod to classic villain Mr Freeze, who’s hench men were, funnily enough, Chill & Nippy!
All up, this is easily the best of the modern Bat films so far, continuing the roll that Hollywood seems to be on at the moment for quality pre-quels (judging by Revenge of the Sith anyway). Lets hope they can keep the momentum going.
All except “The Narrows” district that is, the location of Dr Cranes Hospital for the criminally insane, which was included to again give a plausible explanation for all the whacky villains to be encountered by the Batman in his subsequent adventures. The man who gunned down Bruce’s parents was “Chill”, no doubt a nice nod to classic villain Mr Freeze, who’s hench men were, funnily enough, Chill & Nippy!
All up, this is easily the best of the modern Bat films so far, continuing the roll that Hollywood seems to be on at the moment for quality pre-quels (judging by Revenge of the Sith anyway). Lets hope they can keep the momentum going.
Batman Begins is still currently on general release in cinemas.