I was looking forward to seeing Batman Begins. So was my wife, so during our recent vacation, we left the kids with family for an evening and caught this most recent tale of Gotham’s defender.
None of the movies has really captured the aura of The Dark Knight, the graphic novel by Frank Miller. Still, Batman Begins takes a different, darker cut on the tale than the earlier films. The focus on the roots of Batman’s obsession with revenge (more than justice) makes Batman less lovable, and therefore more interesting. That’s only fitting. The team of villains is hardly convincing, but maybe that’s partly due to my not recognizing another group of Batman’s traditional foes.
The series of important smaller roles filled by leading actors is a nice touch, especially when the hero is played by a (relative) unknown. Morgan Freeman clearly enjoys being Batman’s Q, and Michael Caine plays the butler Alfred true. The strongest role player, though, is Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, the policeman who in most of the comics and movies is already chief of police. Here, he’s a sergeant, and the only honest man in the department, keeping his head above water.
I liked this film. I’m quite sure Batman will continue to spark more motion pictures, and I hope this new vein is heavily mined.