The Pop Pirate

Beginning Batman

Batman has had many beginnings. He first appeared in print in 1939, on screen in 1943, and in modern feature cinema in 1989 (Ref). But this week, the Batman story finally began for me.

First, I should say that I never really got into comics as a kid. I loved to read books, and I think the pictures in the comics never really lived up to the ones in my head. So I didn't really grow up with the 'Caped Crusader.' My first introduction to the mythology was Tim Burton's 1989 film/cultural event. The film is fun and gothic and great, and it tells a decent story about an insane villain, but it doesn't tell us much about the guy in black. Ditto for 1992's Batman Returns, and don't even get me started on the Schumacher suckfest that ensued.

So when I went to the theater last night and tuckered in for Batman Begins, I was pretty much working with a clean slate when it came to Bruce Wayne. And in the ensuing 2 hours or so, an amazing thing happened- I got to know him. I understand now how he felt about his parents. I get how helpless he felt when his parents were murdered. I also now see why he sought out danger and costumes in the fight for justice.

Now, that's a lot to get from 141 minutes of film, along with a cohesive story about some particular villains. And this feat was achieved because of the talent of an amazing cast and a fresh director: Chris Nolan. Nolan has an ability to coax sympathy in a very short amount of time. When necessary, he'll resort to a speech from a character to get information across, but he's just as content with making a point with a look or an image. And neither the speechifying nor the looks would do the trick if it wasn't for the likes of Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine and Christian Bale.

Nolan's weakness is in the action. The fight scenes are no doubt edited to convey the suddenness and confusion of the one's trying to fight Batman, but it comes off as choppy and disorienting. Also, the car chase scenes were conventional and a bit drawn out for such a character driven film.

The bottom line: Batman/Bruce Wayne has never been so accessible as a character and his story has not been so convincingly told. The cast and the director make this film a spellbinding treat, and a great (real) introduction to this giant of American Myth.

posted by Jeff @ 6:08 PM