SPOILER WARNING: The following preview/review contains
information on the film's plot.
We all know the story by now. When Bruce Wayne was
a small boy, he saw his parents gunned down in front of him
in Crime Alley after leaving the theater. There in the
alley, beside their bodies, he swore an oath to them and himself
that he would do everything he could so that something like
this would never happen again. He went on to develop both
his body and mind, becoming in the process, not only the world’s
greatest detective, but also something much more. To turn
the fear that criminals inflicted upon their victims’
back at them, he chose the mantle of the bat and became Batman.
This is the story as most of us know it and I’m happy
to say that after a campy television series, four previous movies
and countless cartoons they finally got it right. Most
of it.
When the movie begins we find a young Bruce Wayne playing
in the garden with Rachel Dawes. Bruce falls down a
well and is terrified by the bats that live there. Flash
forward years ahead and we are introduced to an adult Bruce
Wayne (Christian Bale) in the oddest of places: a Chinese
prison. There, he has to fight multiple inmates
just to stay alive. Bruce is released from prison with
the aid of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and urged to seek out
Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) who can help show him the
path he has been seeking. When Bruce reaches Ra's' stronghold
he is taken in and trained by Ducard who not only teaches
him to fight but also helps him confront his personal demons.
Bruce refuses to accept Ra's' offer to join his organization
and lead their mission to destroy a corrupt and decaying Gotham.
Instead he insists that Gotham can be saved, and he has to
fight for not only his freedom but his life.
Bruce returns to Gotham with the aid of his faithful butler
Alfred (Michael Caine) and begins his quest to set right the
wrongs that have plagued the city his family helped build
and his father saved from economic ruin. He also returns
to find Rachel (Katie Holmes), now an Assistant District Attorney,
fighting not only the corruption on the streets but also that
within the system she serves and believes in. Things
are also in turmoil with Wayne Corp. as president Richard
Earle (Rutger Hauer) seeks to take the company public.
Earle has banished his only opposing voice, Lucius Fox (Morgan
Freeman,) to the basement and the applied sciences division;
which is exactly where Bruce Wayne wishes to spend his time.
Quickly making friends with Lucius and borrowing his own technology,
Bruce begins developing his idea and building his arsenal.
He also seeks out and begins to make an ally of the one honest
cop he can find, Sgt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman).
On the streets of Gotham, Batman first goes after mob boss
Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) only to find that he is but
the tip of the iceberg and things are not always what they
seem. A young and inexperienced Batman must also face
off with Dr. Jonathan Crane and his alter ego, The Scarecrow
(Cillian Murphy,) who plans to poison all of Gotham at the
bidding of his employer. As Batman struggles to keep
up with the nightmare that is playing out before him, Bruce
Wayne must contend with his own problems including his childhood
friend Rachel, the cost of a double life, and the ghosts of
his past.
Now the fanboys will scream about the things that they got
wrong and the things they changed, but don’t let that
discourage you this is an excellent movie. Yes, they
changed quite a few things from the original story, the most
notable being this Batman isn’t a detective… at
least not yet. But if you look past that, what you will
see is what they got right, and that is impressive. This
is the first Batman movie that gets it. They get the
obsession. They get the anger and the shame. They
get that this is more about the man than anything else; that
Batman isn’t a mask Bruce Wayne wears, it’s the
other way around.
The casting is not only incredible it is, as far as I can
tell, perfect. Christian Bale is great as both Bruce
Wayne and Batman and he is able to be both flamboyant and
brooding . Gary Oldman is, in my opinion, the best character
actor working today and brings James Gordon to the screen
in a way so that he appears to be lifted straight from the
pages of the comics. Michael Caine is a new kind of
Alfred, more partner than servant, witty and tough enough
to aid Bruce on his quest. There are no weak spots here
as everyone pulls their weight. Director Christopher
Nolan does a fabulous job and gives us not only the Batman
we’ve waited for, but also the perfect Gotham for him
to prowl. Gone are the nippled Batsuits and flashy
gadgets; this is the Dark Knight in all his cloaked glory.
The score is also fabulous and deserves to be mentioned as
it complements the imagery on the screen beautifully.
So if you were on the fence about this one, get your ass
off it and get in line. Batman has always been a favorite
of mine and I was as apprehensive as hell about this one, especially after
the train-wreck that was Batman & Robin. This
film does justice not only to the cape and cowl but also to
all the supporting aspects that have helped to make Batman
one of the most popular characters in comics. So thank
you Christopher Nolan for correcting the mistakes of the past
and giving us what we’ve been waiting for.
Oh and if you are taking requests for the eventual sequel
I have one… a small one:
Please, no Robin. |
