BY SUSANNE ROBBINS
"Holy Awesome movie Batman... (voice trails off) that - I'm - not - in". With that Robin shrugs his shoulders, kicks at the dirt, then slowly slinks away. That's right Robin go back to the circus, Batman doesn't need you right now. This Batman doesn't need annoying sidekicks, or bat nipples, hey did we ever need bat nipples...I'm just sayin'. We are through with over the top villains with sugary sweet plot lines. I want my Bruce Wayne, I want to know how he became the Dark Knight. I want to be reminded that Bruce himself is just a mortal. I also want to be scared of the villains, not laugh at their crazy one liners and outrageous costumes. Well if you feel the same way I do, then get ready because Batman Begins is here. I know you almost thought you were going to get away with a review from me and not have me mention the action figures. Well you are, because I have something better. My bat signal key chain, oh yes my friends, better than an action figure, it goes with me everywhere and can signal the bat to rescue me at any minute. Of course I have yet for it to work. Every night I point it at the sky in hopes that Christian Ba...I mean Batman will come to my rescue and nada. Although the cats like to chase it around the room, and that becomes enjoyment for way too many hours. OK back to the case at hand.
The movie begins with a young Bruce Wayne, showing flashes of his life. This gives you insight as to his strange fascination and fear of bats. When the young Bruce Wayne sees his parents slain in front of his very own eyes, he is filled with regret, which quickly turns into the need for revenge. As Gotham begins to crumble away from everything his parents believed in and tried to build, Wayne himself decides to leave Gotham. He then flees to Asia where we find our modern day hero in prison. That is until he is visited by Henri Ducard, a man who understands his pain and wants to help this young tortured soul by giving him a chance to study under Ra's Al Ghul. Bruce takes him up on his offer to become a better man and fight against those that have caused him so much pain. Once there Bruce learns how to channel his pain, his rage, his fear and use it to his advantage. All goes well until Bruce learns that these men are going to destroy Gotham City because it has become a city overrun by corruption and crime. Bruce cannot take down the city his parents helped build. He decides to leave and do what he can to protect his city from these men.
This brings us back to Wayne manor and Alfred, played by Michael Caine. Bruce even returns to Wayne Enterprises but not to run the company that has been in his family for generations, rather to fly under the radar and see what this company may have to offer. He decides to take a job with Lucius Fox and this is where he finds "all those wonderful toys".
Wayne does reconnect with an old friend Rachel Dawes, played by Katie Holmes, she is the District Attorney of Gotham City. Of course in a town that thrives on paying off as many top officials as possible, Rachel refuses to name a price. Of course she is fighting a losing battle against the criminals that all seem to be declared insane by Dr. Crane and moved to his facility rather than serve time in jail. Rachel decides to pay a visit to the hospital when the Mob's biggest crime boss is suddenly found to be insane. While at the hospital Rachel herself is in danger of finding out just how and why these people are becoming looney.
All the while Batman is there fighting crime, fighting against the corruption that drove him away many years before. He stumbles upon the Scarecrow and discovers there is a bigger plot just lying beneath the surface. It is up to Batman and Lt. Gordon to figure out a way to save Gotham City from certain destruction.
I loved this movie because it is dark, your bad men are rotten to the core. They even scared me, and I loved it. There was no room for hokey little jokes or over the top performances, you really wouldn't want to meet up with these guys in a dark alley. Now of course that being said as usual there is a great amount of quick wit and random comedy that helps break up the drama. I loved the fact that we saw just as much of Bruce Wayne as we did Batman, in fact you probably saw more of Bruce. It shows him as a man that becomes something extraordinary, however in the end he is just a man and can be hurt just the same. I really cannot say enough about not only the movie but the amazing cast in this film. Everyone plays their part to perfection and you look forward to their return. In fact I would like to see a little more of Morgan Freeman and even Rutger Hauer, we all know what a bad guy he can be. As usual I don't want to give away too much of the story, but this is what I will tell you. The gadgets come to life, when Bruce stumbles upon a basic warehouse of military products that Wayne Enterprises invested in but never seemed to sell. Bruce uses all of these items to his advantage and with Lucius Fox' help he manages to put them to some good use.
Christian Bale and Chris Nolan are my hero's they helped save a franchise that should never have turned into the fluff that was Batman Returns. They do a wonderful job of not only showing you how everything came to be, they help set up the villains and stories that have yet to come.
The characters are cast perfectly. Christian Bale has always been a favorite of mine, and now he is my favorite Batman but even better I was finally just as psyched to see Bruce Wayne on the screen. He encompasses Bruce Wayne's smart, witty, and at times vulnerable personality. Bale is also joined on screen by Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Katie Holmes and Rutger Hauer who round out the rest of this amazing cast. As I said before, I loved this movie, this is the reason I go see movies. I was entertained, maybe even a little enlightened, OK a little too far with that one... Bottom line I was left salivating like Pavlov's dog waiting for the bell to ring only my bell is a sequel |
