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Movies that bang
by Jordan Hiller

Batman Begins (2005)

There should come a point during Chris Nolan’s epic and arduous reinvigoration of the Batman franchise where every viewer must ask themselves a, cinematically speaking, sacrilegious question. Is this utterly rebellious and confident commencement of an entirely new superhero saga surrounding the Caped Crusader better than Tim Burton’s stunning and hypnotic 1989 original? The mere fact that this questions needs to be dealt with leads to the conclusion that Nolan has done a convincing job and has done away with the stench left over by Joel Schumacher’s last two installments. In the end, and I am aware the comic book crowd has their sacred alters, my assessment is that Burton’s work checks in as the better movie, both aesthetically and artistically, however, and please hear me out, Batman Begins is the better Batman movie.  

The main difference between the two, disregarding Burton’s ability to enchant as well as entertain, is that the 1989 film treats the audience like a denizen of Gotham, where Batman is a ghost invading the night like a phantom plague, while the 2005 incarnation cradles us – takes the time to let us in on the mythology and spends a good hour setting up Bruce Wayne’s evolution from devastated boy, to confused young man, to focused protector/predator. Some may prefer a Batman that plummets from the sky, cape spread open like a black sandstorm to wreak effortless havoc on the underbelly of society, but how much more satisfying is it to know that a human being dressed like a bat had to do some push ups so he could get the energy to climb to a rooftop before being able to drop down with the grace of a shadow. On some level we all know this about the character anyway. I mean, isn’t that what always made Batman cooler than Superman? That he was simply a dedicated and disturbed man trying to protect a city and right a wrong (the murder of his gazillionaire parents by thugs during a botched mugging). Tim Burton never gave us the familiarity with his Bruce Wayne in order to truly identify with his mission and his purpose. We never felt like the central character was real, he simply was and we were asked to accept that. With Nolan’s movie we not only get a solid adventure, pitting our rookie hero against some more obscure villains from the source material, but in addition we are treated to the origin of things, from his relationship with Commissioner Gordon to the creation of the suit, the car, the weapons, and the signal. Some may say they like the mystery, like being kept in the dark, but for my money, I say create a character that is believable (or as believable as a vigilante bat can be) and build a legacy around him.

Nolan has also taken Gotham and his cast of actors in another direction. While Burton’s Gotham was certainly creepier and more nightmarish, Nolan has filmed a serviceably lurid landscape and, again, it simply feels more like a place that exists in the world.

Back in 1989, it was hard to imagine comedic actor Michael Keaton latexing up for the role of a lifetime, but after bringing much credibility and charm to the role, it has become his token work (and of course the only actor in the argument after clownish attempts by Val Kilmer and George Clooney). Christian Bale, approximately seven years younger than Keaton was at the time of filming their respective movie, brings humanity and an edge to the character of both Bruce Wayne and Batman that was missing heretofore. It seems with Batman Begins that the character of Wayne and his alter ego have been combined (which make sense since they are one and the same) and Bale maintains his icy presence throughout, whereas with Keaton’s version, it was sometimes hard to believe that the same soft spoken erudite wore the cowl and had the slick moves. Honorable mentions within the cast must go to Gary Oldman for toning it down to provide such subtle eloquence as the good cop in a bad city, and equally to Cillian Murphy for his entrancing and devilish work as a deranged psychologist (his performance, by the way, was tailor made for a Burton movie). The rest of the actors, including Michael Caine as ever-loyal and crafty butler Alfred, Katie Holmes as D.A./love interest Rachel Dawes, and Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises gizmo maven Lucius Fox, all do respectable work in relatively simplistic sidekick roles.  The final piece of good news of course is that the series has been reborn with legs (a sequel is a no-brainer) and if Nolan stays true to form and continues caring, audiences can look forward to some pleasant dark nights ahead.