watching movies one cup at a time

It is generally acknowledged that the Batman film franchise went down in flames with the campy, horrible Batman and Robin film from 1997. Nevertheless, Batman’s power as a recognizable icon and marketable hero is still irresistible for film studios, especially in the wake of the gazillion-dollar-making Spider-man movies. So it is not surprising that a new Batman movie would get made, but clearly a new direction had to be taken.

First a little back story. Frank Miller is a legend in the comic industry. The writer and artist has released several groundbreaking and masterful graphic novels and series over the past 30 years, including some fantastic Batman stories. The most famous one is The Dark Night Returns which inspired some of the style used in the first Tim Burton Batman movie and is considered a landmark in the Batman canon. It could be argued that the popularity of The Dark Night Returns contributed significantly to the first Batman movie getting made at all. There is another great Frank Miller comic book mini-series called Batman: Year One. In that series, Miller fleshes out how Batman got started and the rocky road he took to perfect his technique. It is set against a corrupt and desperate Gotham City and the series reads like a noir detective story. Batman Begins doesn’t tell the same story as Year One. But clearly there is a connection and the idea was sparked in those pages.

I believe the real appeal of the Batman figure is that he is essentially just a man in a mask. He has no super-powers, he isn’t an alien, advanced human, or robot. But he has trained himself to achieve greatness. He has tapped his own inner strength to become greater and achieve amazing things. And people can get behind that. Much more than some dude who fell to Earth already perfect and indestructible. “Regular people” want to believe that we are capable of great things and that we can exceed our artificial limits. Batman is a shining example of that. Add to that some cool black costumes, badass cars, and more gadgets than Best Buy and you’ve got a fanboy’s dream come true.

Batman Begins appeals on all those levels. Christian Bale is extremely relatable as a flawed hero in search of a purpose. This movies takes the already old and tired line that “his parents got shot so now he fights crime” and gives it some real depth and meaning. It is woven into his training as a warrior and for one of the first times it feels as though there is some genuine thought behind it.

I’m not a huge fan of Ra’s Al Ghul as the villain. Having him be the mentor was very good. But in the Batman world, he doesn’t seem like a big enough villain to carry much weight. The Scarecrow is a great choice but he wasn’t around much this time. However with the Joker finally coming in the next film, the build-up of this first one will pay off. Just as long as it doesn’t get ridiculous like the previous franchise. But I don’t think Christoper Nolan would let that happen.

I just wanted to say also that Katie Holmes was really good as Rachel Dawes and she was a complete fool to turn down reprising the role in the sequel. It was her highest profile gig ever and if she doesn’t want to be “Mrs. Cruise” for the rest of her life, she needs to jump on stuff like that. You can’t tell me that a waste-of-time like Mad Money was worth making while The Dark Night was not.

This movie might take the top Batman movie honor away from the 1989 film. That one was great, but almost 20 years later it is not aging well. The new Batman is much stronger and is a more solid story. Less pop, more power. And the sequel already looks amazing. The tragedy of Heath Ledger’s death has put a bit of a dark cloud over it, but despite my earlier reservations, his work as the Joker looks fantastic.

Let’s hope this Batman lasts a good long time.