- The two primary antagonists in Batman Begins take turns describing the fledgling hero as "a man who takes himself too seriously," and "just an ordinary man in a cape." While the comments are meant as taunts, they also accurately reflect the novel approach director Christopher Nolan has taken with the character. Gone are the days of Batman as equal parts impervious Olympian athlete, world's greatest detective, and scientific super genius. Nolan presents us instead with a far from fully-formed Batman who must work hard to develop the skills and tactics he will need to fight crime. This version of Batman's story is also impressively logical, going to great lengths to address such airy topics as the economic roots of crime while simultaneously presenting more realistic heroes and villains than are usually inspired by comic books.
- When we first meet the adult Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), his path in life is far from obvious. He has allowed himself to be arrested in the Far East in an attempt both to hone his fighting skills and to become familiar with the criminal way of life. A man named Ducard (Liam Neeson), representing the legendary Ra's Al Ghul, finds him there, senses his (literally) orphaned quest, and offers him a chance to join the fearsome League of Shadows. At Ra's stronghold, Bruce learns to control his fear and to employ the "theatricality and deception" that will obviously have a bearing on his future persona. Ultimately, however, Ra's warped form of justice convinces Bruce to break with the organization, putting it mildly, and he returns to Gotham City.
- In Gotham, Bruce quickly assembles much of the technology and support he'll rely on as Batman, garnering the assistance of technological wizard Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), police officer Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and of course his reliable family butler Alfred (Michael Caine). He is somewhat less successful at recapturing the affections of childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), however, whose impression of Bruce is colored by the careless playboy image that he projects. We don't actually see him in costume for nearly an hour, but Batman's first appearance is appropriately stunning when he takes down mob boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson). Eventually, the story also requires Batman to battle the demented "experimental psychiatrist" Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) and a mysteriously resurrected Ra's Al Ghul, each of whom has their own way of using fear to terrorize Gotham. In a magnificent action sequence involving a train, Batman is able to stand against those who would "prey on the fearful" as he saves Gotham from its own worst nightmares.
- Batman Begins is not a perfect film, but it is the closest thing to a perfect superhero movie that I have yet seen (caveat: The Dark Knight opens today). The writing is superb, the visuals magnificent, and the cast is a veritable rogue's gallery of talent. I found myself amazed at how well Nolan and the writer David Goyer adapted reasonably obscure villains like the Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul, not to mention how perfectly they balanced a dozen or so other major characters. As I often note, I consider Batman: The Animated Series to be the unquestionable pinnacle of American animated drama, but one thing that a cartoon can never be is completely real. Nolan's Batman is as real as they get.
