CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 6/17/05

FINALLY, Batman Begins…

By Jeff goldsmith

After watching his parents gunned down before his eyes as a child, Bruce Wayne learns to properly channel his vigilantism as he embarks on his own hero's journey to become Batman. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this near film noir version of the familiar character, which features writing strong enough to transcend comic book fandom boundaries.

Batman Begins

Christopher Nolan (also directed) and David S. Goyer
Based on a story by David S. Goyer
Based on characters created by Bob Kane

In a refreshing non-linear style we're introduced to Bruce Wayne as both a child and an adult. While playing with his childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Emma Lockhart), young Bruce (Gus Lewis) falls down an abandoned well and is terrified by a swarm of hundreds of bats. Flash forward, where an adult Wayne (Christian Bale) has joined a cult known as the League of Shadows, who introduce him to their own twisted version of justice. Under the tutelage of the League's leader, Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), and al Ghul's second in command, Ducard (Liam Neeson), Bruce Wayne learns to overcome his fears in order to become a better, smarter warrior prepared to fight the evil that he's vowed to destroy. Upon returning to Gotham City, Bruce finds himself the sole defender of a corrupt city he feels is still worth saving. Thus the central question of many a Batman yarn surfaces: how can one righteous man defeat the evil trying to rob him of the one thing he truly loves -- Gotham?

After Warner Brothers lost their way with the Batman franchise in the mid-'90s by producing films focusing more on effects than characters, they seem to have learned the error of their ways just in time to cash in on one of their greatest franchise properties; the now 66-year-old property launched in Detective Comics issue #27 in May 1939. Inspired by the Frank Miller-penned Batman: Year One comic, Nolan and Goyer have given Batman the origin film he never had, but always deserved. The two writers pack a lot into their script, but are never afraid to give the characters breathing room during the first and second acts, rather than just service them between the kind of obligatory action scenes that failed the franchise a decade ago.

In Batman Begins, the concept of fear is continually elaborated upon as Wayne learns to grapple with his own fears and ultimately find a way to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. The near-Freudian examination of the true "bats" in Wayne's "belfry" turn this action/effects film into somewhat of a psychological thriller as Wayne's dual identities fold into themselves and produce a superhero who represents the best of both. While previous renditions show Wayne bored in his guise as a multimillionaire playboy, here it's clear that the Wayne identity is more of a shell for the dominant Batman persona -- Nolan and Goyer wrote Wayne to seem more out of his skin as Wayne than he does as the dark knight. Also evident is a true roadmap of the hero's journey as we see Wayne leave home on a journey in search of the requisite skills needed to achieve his never-ending goal of meting out justice on his own terms, only to return home completely changed and utterly ready to defend his city from the evil that has overtaken it in his absence.

Origin films can be tricky. Because so much time is spent setting up characters and their relationships with each other, it takes longer for the story's central question to pop up - in this case, how will Batman save Gotham? Yet, such a solid job was done laying the foundations to these well written, three-dimensional characters that what's important to them ultimately becomes important to us. Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), who grows up to become the assistant district attorney, remains the best-written love interest ever seen in a Batman film. She comes across with such integrity and zest for justice that one can only wonder why the possibilities for such a character were never examined in the previous films, rather than the more typical damsel in distress/love interest terrain.

The story moves at an even pace, and the action satisfies just as much as the character beats. Only time will tell if the dressing of an origin film (for instance, how Wayne creates the Batmobile, his costume, etc.) will continue to hold up. One drawback is that, when the narrative threat kicks in, it seems to be resolved almost as quickly as it manifests itself. The film seems to run out of time, thus robbing us of the excellently crafted Scarecrow character who leaves us wanting more. Overall, it's an entertaining trade-off for such an otherwise well-written script.

Another origin film snafu was the over-definition of Ra's al Ghul's true involvement in Bruce Wayne's life. Here Nolan and Goyer made the mistake of over defining some of the elements that have always remained best left in the shadows of the Batman universe. This lessens the impending threat of Gotham's various criminal elements by narrowing it down to be almost exclusively emanating from al Ghul himself, which many comic fans will find to be a bit of a stretch. Also, some fans might find dismay in Nolan and Goyer's choice to never mention the concept of al Ghul's immortality, although it is hinted at near the end of the film. An acceptable change to make the stakes higher during the fights, but somewhat odd as it has always been such a big part of al Ghul's character on the page.

In Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan and David Goyer have created the origin story that Batman fans have been waiting for. The story is a smart, character-driven piece that takes its time in almost all the right places, and whose hiccups quickly vanish under Batman's dark cape. For once, character outweighs story in a superhero film that's sure to please. You needn't have ever read a Batman comic to fall in love with this well-written flick that satisfies all four quadrants of this summer's audience.

Batman Begins
Warner Bros.
Rated PG-13; 140 min.

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Jeff Goldsmith is senior editor for Creative Screenwriting magazine and serves as the Los Angeles Events Coordinator in charge of the Creative Screenwriting screening series.
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