Batman Begins

I've loved almost every Batman movie that's come down the pike. Being a fan of the comic for years, having grown up with it and the camp TV series, watching it change, reinvesting in it when my son was old enough, I've seen the caped crusader in all his incarnations. But the last two films twisted what started as an interesting concept and directed them back towards camp and not in the best way possible. This films makes up for all of that.

The film opens with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in a prison in some Asian country. Fighting among the prisoners with a sort of jubilation, Wayne is visited by a mysterious man (Liam Neeson) who discusses with him the where's, why's and how's of what led him here. They discuss his need for revenge. And then he offers him a chance to find the answers that he seeks, if he will complete the simple task of bringing a flower to the highest point in what appears to be a mountain monastery.

Wayne follows this course and becomes a disciple of a man named Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), the leader of a select group of ninja warriors trained to root out evil. With Neeson as his instructor, Bruce begins to hone his natural born skills. But when push comes to shove and he is required to kill someone, he revolts, strikes out against his masters and torches the building in the process. But before he does so, he rescues Neeson.

Returning home to Wayne Manor in Gotham, Bruce sets out to rebuild his life and confront his demons. In the process he makes plans to save Gotham from the downhill slide it has taken since his departure. In discussing it with his long time friend and butler Alfred (Michael Caine) he realizes he must do so from a position of secrecy.

Throughout all of this we are given glimpses into the past of young Bruce, from the time he fell into an abandoned well that was filled with bats and caused him his deepest darkest fear to the day that his mother and father were cold bloodedly shot in an alley after he asked them to leave the opera they were attending. All of these things have left emotional scars upon young Bruce. And all of them will help to develop the man, the legend that he will soon become.

As Bruce returns to life in Gotham he is reacquainted with the girl he grew up with, Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). Now a member of the district attorney's office, she remembers the Bruce she knew long ago. She struggles with the world that Gotham has become and regrets the fact that Bruce is not the man about town playboy socialite only concerned with the next party instead of the great city his father helped build. She is completely unaware of the man that Bruce truly is and the plans that he has.

As Bruce considers his options, he also has to take back control of the company his family helped build. Now run by Erle (Rutger Hauer), it is about to lapse into open the open market since Bruce was thought dead. And may yet do so.

All of this progresses without an ounce of boredom for the viewer. The thing that separates this film from the rest is the amount of rich storytelling involved. The plotlines weave in and out of each other as the motivations and backdrop for this hero become evident.

While he adjusts to Gotham and the false lifestyle he must portray, Bruce also makes the acquaintance of a member of the family business, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Directed this way by Alfred, Lucius now spends his days in the basement areas of the Wayne building harboring the creations he has come up with over the past years. Everything from body armor to grappling hooks to transportation is there. Upon seeing these items, Bruce knows just the way to put them to use.

Going back to the long lost bat cave he visited as a child, Bruce turns it into a secret lair where he creates a costume and then goes forth to fight evil doers. Yeah it sounds hokey but isn't that what Batman did? And along the way he confronts a new evil, one that intends to turn Gotham into a town brought down by madness.

Gangster Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) has aligned himself with a psychiatrist named Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) and a benefactor unknown. Crane has developed a highly toxic hallucinogen that transforms those infected with total fear and madness. Upon infecting someone with the drug, Crane puts on a mask and becomes the evil Scarecrow, inducing nightmares beyond belief.

A face off between these three is inevitable and as Bruce aka Batman grows accustomed to his new persona, more comfortable in it, the chances of his survival increase. Along with one single policeman he trusts, James Gordon (Gary Oldman), Batman sets out to stop the plan that has been put in motion. But even he has no idea who the real foe he is confronting is. And the revelation of that is a surprise not only for him but for viewers as well.

The movie does two things with ease. It makes the story of Batman just that, a story rather than a framework with which to place characters and toy designs around. It fills it out like it has never been done before and makes you think it all plausible, if not possible.

The other thing it does is offer a movie that is filled with action and romance and adventure and it does so in spades. This is a fun movie that kids, perhaps not too young, can enjoy as well as grandma who may remember the old sixties show.

The movie features excellent acting all round with no one person taking the full credit. Each and every actor stands out. The special effects are eye dazzling and they compliment the character and story rather than become the main feature.

This film opened big at the box office and deservedly so. If you're looking for a movie that tells a tale and entertains from beginning to end, then this is the one to see.