Member review

2019 marks the 80th Anniversary of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics that left pop culture forever changed. Over the years, fans of the Caped Crusader have been gifted with exceptional films, incredible video games, amazing animated series and of course some pretty great comics. So to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of the greatest and most iconic characters in fiction, I am going to review one of the most popular movie Trilogies of all time, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy.”

After the infamously hilarious “Batman and Robin” proved to be a cinematic disaster, Warner Brothers put the Caped Crusader on ice (“Allow me to break the ice”) for 8 years. It seemed as though no director would ever be able to rescue Batman from Joel Schumacher’s neon-hell, however, Christopher Nolan came along and saved the Batman franchise!

Nolan’s interpretation of Batman was a rougher, grittier and more realistic take on the character previously unseen on film. Gone were the camp villains, bat-nipples and Prince songs, this was a vigilante who used his phobia of bats (and his endlessly-parodied snarly voice) to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham’s criminals.

Before we move on, let’s talk about that voice. As much fun as it is to use in day-to-day life, I actually like Christian Bale’s gravely growl in “Batman Begins” (before it became utterly ridiculous in the subsequent sequels.) Nothing will ever compare to Kevin Conroy’s vocal performance’s as the Dark Knight in “Batman: The Animated Series” or the “Batman: Arkham” games but Bale’s throat shredding grumble is effective here.

Speaking of Christian Bale, he is by far my favourite live-action Batman. As much as I love Adam West, Bale did a fantastic job of balancing the three lives of the World’s Greatest Detective, the crime-fighter, Bruce Wayne’s public persona as the arrogant billionaire and the more human side that only his closest allies see. He is both an entertaining Wayne AND an awesome Batman, which no other actor (apart from Kevin Conroy) had managed to do before this movie.

I love the arc that Wayne goes on throughout this film, which is thanks not only to Bale’s excellent performance but also David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan’s brilliant script, which houses some of my favourite Batman related quotes (“Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”)

“Batman Begins” also introduced the world to the Tumbler, the formidable tank-like vehicle that fits perfectly into this more believable world. It remains one of my favourite incarnations of the Batmobile, if only I had enough pocket money to buy the road-worthy £1,000,000 one! I’m not crazy about the Batsuit in this movie, it’s not bad but I definitely prefer the updated version that allows Batman to turn his head, which he dons in “The Dark Knight.”

“Batman Begins” is the most Batman-centric entry in the Trilogy (as the Joker dominates the sequel and Bruce Wayne only spends half-an-hour of “The Dark Knight Rises” in the Batsuit.) Even though “Begins” features two villains, Christopher Nolan never loses sight of what the film is about, that being the origin of Batman. The filmmakers must be commended for their presentation of the deaths of Thomas and Martha (“WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!”) Wayne. Despite the fact that everybody and their grandma knows about the mugging and murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, “Batman Begins” offers up the most emotionally devastating and shocking depiction of the event that created the Batman.

One of the many things that makes Batman one of my favourite superheroes is his vast array of supporting characters. Thankfully, “Batman Begins” is one of the most well-cast comic book movies ever made, it’s filled to the brim with A-list actors who all bring justice to their roles.

Everyone loves Alfred Pennyworth (that’s a fact), and everyone loves Michael Caine (that’s not an opinion) so casting the cockney legend as everyone’s favourite butler was the best idea since shark-repellent. Caine brings warmth and toughness to the film, encapsulating everything that I love about the character. He’s both a dependable friend that’ll stitch up Batman when he’s been injured, but he’s also the only person that stands up to him and tells Bruce what he really thinks. Caine’s Alfred and Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox provide some of the Trilogies most amusing moments, which break up the doom and gloom very well (people always forget how funny these movies can be.)

Morgan Freeman is absolutely amazing, so his inclusion in “The Dark Knight Trilogy” was yet another obvious yet splendid decision. He’s as funny and likeable as you’d expect and he has great chemistry with all the cast, especially with Christian Bale (“Well, what is it today? More spelunking?”) Lucius Fox is probably my second favourite character that he has portrayed, after God in “Bruce Almighty” of course; when Freeman is in your movie, you can’t go wrong!

There a few other actors I wish to mention briefly; Gary Oldman is an excellent Jim Gordon and Cillian Murphy is fantastic as Scarecrow (one of the best Batman villains.) Liam Neeson as Ducard/ Ra’s al Ghul (spoiler alert) brings a complexity to the film as his mind-set clashes with Batman’s, the moral dilemmas that this raises is superhero storytelling at its best. Batman is such a rich (no pun intended) and thematically interesting protagonist, the ideas that writers are able to play with create stories that almost become psychology lessons.

Hans Zimmer is one of my all-time favourite film composers, the “Kung Fu Panda Trilogy” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” feature two of my favourite film scores ever. His work on “The Dark Knight Trilogy” is some of his best; the score for “Batman Begins” is operatic, adding to the spectacle of the action, but also quiet and personal for the less bombastic sequences.

I love the design of Gotham in “Batman Begins”, it’s a repugnant and wretched place covered in muck and grime. It’s very jarring because in the latter entries in the trilogy, Gotham could be any generic American location; the setting lacks any personality or soul. At least in this film Gotham feels like a cesspool of crime and corruption!

And finally, the direction here is truly masterful. The cinematography is fantastic, Christopher Nolan’s films all have an epic scale to them and “Batman Begins” is no exception. Although some of the fight scenes can, at times, rely on quick cuts and close ups, most of the sequences are pulse-pounding and thrilling (the Tumbler chase in particular is phenomenal!)

In conclusion, “Batman Begins” is amazing and I absolutely love it! It’s one of the best superhero origin movies, with a much needed update to the Batman series and a deep dive into his psyche. With a cast that is beyond star-studded and one of the best directors of the 21st century at the helm, it’s no wonder that “Batman Begins” kick started one of my favourite trilogies of all time!

Of course I recommend it! It’s outstanding!