BATMAN BEGINS: No More Children’s Stories

And here we are. Created for the big screen in the early 90s, immortalized by Tim Burton, later ruined by the reputation and ultimately buried by the infamous Joel Schumacher – he, the Dark Knight, the Batman – the defender of the oppressed and tireless avenger. Christopher Nolan, the director of Batman Begins, must have known he was taking on a legend, one that had been weakened by the infamous antics of the producers but still deeply embedded in fans’ memories through the vision of a true cinema wizard, the creator of Sleepy Hollow and the immortal comic series. Nolan, who stunned Hollywood with the refined and bold Memento, was given access to a high budget for the first time and immediately set a condition – no more children’s stories, it was time to restore to the hero what was rightfully his, time for a serious film.

As for the director’s filmic intent, I had no doubts, because the formula started in the first part had already run its course (besides, no one really expected it), and Batman in Schumacher’s version had been thoroughly compromised, but trying to face a cohesive, fan and critic-approved vision by Burton was no small risk. After all, there was no way to avoid comparisons to the legend. In general, the concerns proved unfounded. The director of Insomnia revealed himself to be a very consistent creator in his two previous Hollywood films. He didn’t shy away from the psychological nuances of characters, something that is not particularly appreciated in that part of the world, as it rarely yields tangible, monetary results.

Nolan belongs to that rare breed of creators who can combine visual spectacularity with complex characters. In Burton’s films, the attention given to individual characters was quite uneven, and paradoxically, it worked to the detriment of the protagonist. Considering, however, that both in Batman and its sequel Batman Returns, the villain characters are far more interesting than the superhero himself, it’s hard to blame the audience. Why such a focus, though? That’s probably a subject for a separate analysis. In contrast, the director of Batman Begins clearly focused on his hero, not allowing the audience to drift too far from him. And for that, he deserves praise.

We are introduced to the entire story of Bruce Wayne, from childhood to the moment he becomes the Dark Knight, and a little further. After the first screenings, accusations arose about easy psychological explanations, somewhat too simple motivations driving Bruce. After all, it’s the trauma of his parents’ death at the hands of a random thug, growing up in the shadow of guilt and the desire for revenge, ultimately thwarted by pure chance. Is that not enough for the aggression held for years to find relief in a confrontation with the dark forces of the criminal world? Like many characters tormented by the ghosts of the past, Wayne undergoes a journey – an evolution, both literally and symbolically, finding what he never expected to find; in Tibet, on the roof of the world, among members of a sect of ruthless killers (and the character of Ra’s Al Ghul seems to be a purposeful reference to the assassin sects of the Old Man of the Mountain). There, through the grace of revelation, it dawns on him that his rage can have a purpose. Paradoxically, he learns this just when he is given the chance to exact symbolic revenge. But even that can’t be blind…

With some embarrassment, I must admit that I’ve never seen any Batman comics, not even from afar, which, as a reviewer, places me in a somewhat uncomfortable position, as I have no chance to evaluate its influence on the script by Goyer and Nolan. On the other hand, this position is quite luxurious because I only know Batman from the cinema and lack comic book preconceptions. While the dark vision of Gotham from Tim Burton’s films is very close to me, Bruce Wayne himself always evoked in me associations that were far from “superheroic,” giving the impression of a soap-opera-like rich man, from whom it was hard for me to detach mentally, even when I saw him in his dark outfit. Only in Christian Bale’s Batman did I begin to see the true ambiguity of this character and the dark side he carries within him.

The Batmanin his interpretation is unpredictable, and although Batman Begins can’t, of course, pretend to be a psychological film, under the hero’s neoprene suit, emotions are brewing, which were sorely lacking in the previous films by Nolan’s predecessors. From Burton’s vision, probably against his intentions, after years, emerges a Batman – a rich man with an unusual hobby, whereas Nolan showed us a man at a crossroads, who sometimes seems more on the dark side. Christian Bale excels in the ambiguous role of an avenger, and his character no longer evokes the smile that appeared in earlier “editions.” In the company of such stars as Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Liam Neeson, he plays without complexes and creates a dark hero, the Batman I had imagined for a long time.

Finally, the inevitable: does Batman Begins match Burton’s version? Undoubtedly, yes, and in some aspects, it even surpasses it. You won’t find such colorful villains as the Joker or the Penguin here – these clearly speak in favor of Burton’s vision, and the character of Scarecrow pales in comparison, but Nolan’s new film is, after all, and most importantly, the story of Bruce Wayne – who he became and why, leaving aside the fact that above all, it’s a top-tier action spectacle.