Batman Begins DVD > Reviews > So It Begins...again...

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
Soundtrack	Good

Advantages:	Different Approach
Disadvantages:	Length, sparse action, no extras at all

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

2005
Rating 12
2 hours and 15 minutes
Widescreen

Cast and Principals
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Bruce Wayne / Batman....Christian Bale
Dr Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow....Cillian Murphy
Henri Ducard....Liam Neeson
Rachel Dawes....Katie Holmes
Carmine Falcone...Tom Wilkinson
Jim Gordon....Gary Oldman
Alfred....Michael Caine
Lucius Fox....Morgan Freeman
Earle....Rutger Hauer

Director....Christopher Nolan ('Insomnia' and 'Memento')

Plot
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Batman Begins deals with the origins of the Batman legend. It commences with a childhood incident which first instills the fear of bats in to the young Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis). We are led through a brief insight in to Bruce's childhood, where his parents (Linus Roache and Sara Stewart) are shown to be likeable, upstanding citizens who, along with their extensive personal success and wealth, also give back to the community in a selfless manner.

The journey and motivation from privileged child to caped crusader is revealed in several scenarios (often by flashback)which detail this change with more depth than any of the other Batman films.

Bruce's world is turned upside down when his parents are murdered in front of him in a mugging that goes wrong outside a theatre. In addition to his sense of loss and guilt that he survived while his parents were killed, he also feels to blame as he wanted to leave the safety of the theatre early. Bruce develops in to a bitter, angry young man who seems intent on self-destruction. This is compounded when the man guilty of his parents' murder, is himself gunned down outside the court and Bruce is denied justice. Furthermore, Bruce feels impotent when he tries to confront one of the leading underworld figures Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) and is casually dismissed. The care and advice of the honourable Alfred (Michael Caine) and lifelong friend and potential love interest, Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) does not seem to have the desired effect.

The man who changes Bruce's focus from self destruction and self pity, to a man who can make a difference, is Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). During a seven year absence from Gotham, Ducard instructs Bruce in the skills he needs to become physically and mentally more powerful.

With his return to a Gotham in terminal decline, Bruce decides to put his new teachings to use, aiming to avenge the death of his parents and fulfil their ideals of a better Gotham City. With the help of the ever loyal Alfred and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a former business colleague and friend of his father, the transformation in to Batman gathers speed. Alfred provides the sensible advice whilst Fox, has the access to the equipment.

There are parallels to Bruce's predicament with three of the other characters. Rachel Dawes, is a lawyer who is isolated as someone with principle who will not be dissuaded from her quest for justice. The same can be said of police officer, Jim Gordon, who is incorruptible and equally disillusioned with the uphill struggle with fight against crime in Gotham. Lucius Fox, is the third character who epitomises the underdog. Since the death of Tom Wayne, he has plummeted down the ranks to a menial job at the hands of the ambitious and ruthless Earle (Rutger Hauer) who has taken a strong grip on Wayne Enterprises. Almost inevitably these three become Batman's allies.

Within the criminal underworld, there emerges Dr Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), a psychiatrist at loggerheads with the truth-seeking Rachel Dawes. Crane has his own institution where experiments are conducted with seemingly little secrecy. His alter-ego is 'the scarecrow' a genuinely sinister transformation whose 'weapon' is to send any adversary mad with fear. Crane is himself obviously insane and has no qualms in destroying people to secure his own ambitions, and those of his allies.

The story follows Bruce honing his skills as Batman and the development of his Bat Cave and 'Bat' equipment. Simultaneously he builds a closer working relationship with Gordon and Fox, and rekindles his friendships with Alfred and Rachel. The film builds to a climax with the increasingly high profile of the Scarecrow and the emergence of a plot to purge all the wrongs in Gotham with a fresh start. This is to be done on a similar scale to the great plagues, fires and other calamities of history, where society has had to rebuild from scratch. The method of cleansing Gotham society is a lethal mind altering poison introduced to the water supply. In an action based ending, it is, predictably, up to Batman and his few allies to prevent the catastrophe and defeat those who are intenet on mass murder.

Special Features / Extras
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There are many language options but that is all.
Considering that a film of this nature is always going to have special effects, then you would expect a few extras on the dvd, such as 'making of ' documentaries, but there is nothing here and that is disappointing.

Opinion
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General....

This is a far more serious take on the Batman story than any of the other high profile efforts of the last decade or more. There is little trace of the humour which is associated with the Batman image. Though you can admire the new approach, in the terms of building the story, a film like this needs something to lighten the tone a little. Arguably the best Batman to date was the Tim Burton original with Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. The film was suitably dark, but there were some good one-liners, notably from Nicholson, that just lifted the film. Yes, Batman Begins is a film in its own right, but ultimately the premise of a man dressed as a bat and fighting crime is obviously fanciful - it needs some comic touches once in a while, and personally this film takes itself just a bit too seriously.

Special Effects....

The effects in Batman Begins are excellent and the action is exciting if maybe a little sparse for those who like an adrenalin rush on film. The set piece at the end is very well executed and the sets impressive. You do get a sense of a real city. As for the 'Bat toys', the new batmobile is the special effects star of the film, and all the sequences with this beast are exciting.

Soundtrack....

Nolan has been quoted as saying that he wanted a soundtrack to compliment the film, providing a contemporary and timeless accompaniment. He has also said that he didn't want anything too commercial, presumably meaning well known songs by big names. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard have composed a very good soundtrack which has succeeded in fulfilling the directors requirements. However I would not say it was outstanding, and did not inspire me to think that I was watching a truly epic film. But it is above average and a good accompaniment.

The leading players....

CHRISTIAN BALE - Bale has the potential to be a very good Batman and there is no doubt that this film is just the beginning (no pun intended) of a series, but just as the super hero is finding his feet, so is Bale. The actor has played the lead in 'Machinist' and 'American Psycho'. Judging by the charisma with which he filled the screen in the latter, you would feel he would make a very good Batman, but he slightly disappoints. Appropriately, considering the inner conflict of his character, Bale is not convincing in the playboy role in Batman Begins, but he doesn't really spark in any of the other moods he portrays here either. This is not to say he is bad, but I think that in the inevitable sequel, he will be better.

CILLIAN MURPHY - Murphy, ('Red Eye', '28 Days Later'..), steals every scene in which he appears. He has a face and on-screen charisma here that just exudes malice. Although much more under-stated than the afore-mentioned Nicholson in Burton's take, he is at the very least comparable and far more menacing. This is appropriate, considering Nolan's desired tone for Batman Begins. As The Scarecrow, Murphy is genuinely unnerving. The one gripe is that personally I would have liked to have seen more of him in the story, because he is such a forceful character and it would have improved the film.

KATIE HOLMES - A former TV regular of the likes of 'Dawson's Ceek', Holmes is impressive. She is more than effective in portraying a leading lady of real character, intelligence and strength - not just a two-dimensional love interest. This is no doubt due to her abilities as an actress but, from a man's point of view (well this man's!) she is not overtly glamorous either, which makes her seem more real. Maybe it is too early to see whether any real on screen chemistry can be developed between her and Batemen - it isn't strikingly apparent here.

All the other performances are fine too. CAINE is good as Alfred, dispensing advice with some humour and filling his role with aplomb. The rest are all perfectly adequate and OLDMAN is suitably understated. Personally I would be interested in seeing more of his character in any ensuing Batman titles in this series.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN - This is a different type of venture for the director, hence the new approach to the Batman franchise. He does a very good job on the whole in telling the Batman story in a different way to his predecessors. I feel the earlier parts of the film could have been edited together better, to tell the story a little more clearly, but this is a minor quibble. He generally tells the story very well. He also directs the action with skill, and though this is his first comic book film, the climax builds well and is impressive. This is a long film though and considering the length, there were few notably memorable moments, considering.

In summary....

This is a film that is definitely worth watching and stands out as a new take on the Batman phenomenon. I would say that someone who is a real superhero and comic book fan would get more from this film than the casual viewer. It is the best Batman film since Burton's original, but I have a feeling that if this does become a series, Batman Begins may turn out to be the weaker link. I cannot see this appealing to the young - the action sequences are too few and far between, and for the very young, the Scarecrow is possibly too frightening..well maybe. Added to this is the 2hr plus length; for all the positives, this is a long film and not quite gripping enough to prevent the occasional fidget. For a twenty or thirty something such as myself I would have enjoyed a few touches of tongue-in-cheek humour. In hindsight I would have rented this first. I am hesitant to recommend a purchase but it isn't going to break the bank (see below).

Availability
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Both the soundtrack and the dvd are available from AMAZON.

Soundtrack 9.99,
DVD 7.97 and new and used from 4.70.
Available for rental
(A 2 disc version, presumably with extras is available too for 12.97.)

Again the soundtrack and dvd are available from PLAY.COM

Soundtrack 11.99
DVD 6.99
(A 2 disc version, presumably with extras is available too for 6.99.)

The dvd is readily available in any high street dvd shop, but if you like it the 6.99 for the 2 disc at play.com looks a very good deal. Personally I would rent this first.

I hope this guide is useful in advising either the format I have purchased or another version of the dvd package.