The Unseen Movie Review

Batman Begins

Forget Star Wars – this is the real geek film of the summer. It has been eight years since the last Batman film ended up so utterly without merit that the franchise fizzled to a halt, and thirteen years since the last time the Dark Knight was really done justice on screen in Tim Burton’s superb sequel to the Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson-starring 1989 blockbuster. In the intervening years, superhero movies have become bigger than ever – yet it has taken until now for the two franchises that really kicked the genre off, Superman and Batman, to get their act back together.

The horrible memories of George Clooney trying his best in skintight black rubber in the insanely camp and completely awful Batman and Robin will be wiped clear with this reincarnation of what remains one of the coolest comic book heroes of all time. Now it is the turn of Christian Bale to don the cowl and cape, the story focussing on how the orphaned millionaire Bruce Wayne made his first forays into the world of vigilante crimefighting.

Loosely based on the groundbreaking comic series Batman: Year One by cult writer/artist Frank Miller (whose Sin City also makes it to the big screen this month) and adapted by Blade scribe David S Goyer and Memento writer/director Christopher Nolan (who also directs here), the announcement of this project got the world of comic fandom so excited some kind of frenzied geek explosion seemed likely.

But for the casual fan too, it only gets better. The cast is rounded out with some of the best actors around – Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Rutger Hauer, Cilliam Murphy, Tom Wilkinson and Ken Watanabe among them. And, if you thought that was good, the part of Alfred, Batman/Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler, is filled out by none other than the near-legendary Michael Caine. It is a dream cast, with every actor being perfect for their roles – almost all of which have long been known to Batman’s followers over the more than six decades during which he has been thrilling his fans.

After so many aborted efforts over the years, Nolan has managed to rival Tim Burton’s two Batman films for his audacious realisation of the grittily unpleasant underworld of Gotham City in which Batman stalks his prey. Like Burton’s darkly psychological outings, there isn’t a trace of the camp tomfoolery of the much-loved Adam West-starring 1960s TV series in sight – this is an altogether more sinister take, and as such entirely in keeping with the character as he has developed over the last few decades.

After all, Batman’s ultimate motivation, brought perfectly to life here, was the senseless murder of both his parents in front of his very eyes. Dark and disturbing is what Batman should be, so the casting of the star of American Psycho should really come as no surprise – and this film has the decency to be absolutely top-notch, exhilarating and absorbing to boot. One you will definitely regret missing, and quite possibly the film of the year.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM