If Love was the central theme for Sam ’’Spiderman’’ Raimi, Fear rules Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman.It’s ALL about FEAR. What is Fear? Why do we fear? How to overcome fear? How to instill fear in others? How to become feared? ’Batman Begins’ deals with all these fearsome questions and more.
There Came a Spider
I, of course, liked Spiderman series; part I much more than the gooey part II. It was a departure from the first-generation cartoon-strip movies. While, earlier, the focus was on special effects, 2 dimensional - almost - wooden heroes, freaky lunatic super-villains; Spidey focussed on the protagonist as a human being with feelings. It made the super-hero accessible. We found even the caped crusaders have their failings and self-doubts.
With part zwei, it became - no longer a sin - for a superhero to have a successful romantic relationship. From a cowering caper under a mask, he graduated to stealing other guy’s bride like Shahrukh Khan! In a single leap Comic-strip movie industry began focussing on teenagers and adults, instead of kids and adolescents enjoying a summer vacation. There were more college-girls cooing over Toby McGuire than kids bunking afternoon classes. That way I feel Spiderman was a landmark.
Then the Bat Flew in
Now, with Batman, Nolan has taken the comic-book movies to a whole new level - the Third Generation. It continuous to be adventurous and thrilling. But it also happens to be philosophical, spiritual and something a common man can relate to. Even the villains are very much human, with a solid reason behind the evil that they unleash on Gotham, and not loonies who lost their marbles in a freak accident.
It explores the life of millionaire orphan, Bruce Wayne [Christian Bale] , the murder of whose parents, when he was kid, sent him into a journey of self-exploration to find the meaning of fear, criminality and how to counter criminality through fear. How to turn the feared into the fearful? His journeys into the criminal world lands him in a secret warrior cult called ’League of the Shadows’, lead by the Asian with a Egypto-middle-eastern sounding name - Ra’s Al Ghul. Mentored by his guru Henri Ducard [Liam Neeson] in the art of the shadows, Bruce Wayne learns to conquer his fear and fight crime.
He abandons the group over differences in it’s anarchist philosophy, he returns to find Gotham being run by ganglords like Carmine Falcone, corrupt cops like Flass and willing accomplices in crime like psychiatrist Dr. Crane [Cillian Murphy]. Enter Bruce Wayne’s alterego Batman who instills fear in the heart of evildoers using theatricality and deception of equipments he borrows from maverick inventor Lucius Fox [Morgan Freeman]. He’s aided in the endeavor by his childhood friend and district attorney Rachel Dawes [Katie Holmes] and lieutenant Gordon, the last straight cop standing. Soon Batman realizes that he’s up against more than Falcone and his cronies, as an ancient evil he left for dead resurfaces to haunt him.
After all the Spelunking and BASE-jumping
Christopher Nolan has made this film into more than movie. An expedition into the dark areas of human psyche. He employs special-effects in moderation to augment the story and not overrun it. Going-back-and-forth technique, explored so famously in ’Memento’, is used effectively in piecing together, the beginning of Bruce Wayne journey toward becoming the ’Dark Crusader’.
He gives every character the depth and the space it deserves; except Tom Cruise’s gf. He ably employs the character acting capabilities of Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe [Last Samurai], Cillian Murphy wherever he could afford. His work on the screenplay has also been awesome. Dude has dug up enough memorable quotes from BB to last a lifetime [ watch out this space].
Given the rich bat mythology built by DC Comics, the selection of antagonists has also been intelligent, and in accordance with the theme. Scare Crow [Murphy] is a villain who specializes in ’fear’ and employs drugs and other means to scare his victims unto lunacy and even death. Ra’s Al Ghul - the legendary anarchist who happens to be immortal. Well, for the reasons of the movie, he isn’t exactly. Turning him into Batman’s guru (of sorts) was a brilliant stroke. Nolan introduces a shocking twist into the story. Add to it the weaponized fear-inducing drugs, Nolan has a complete ball!
Camera work too is excellent. Gothic look of the predecessors definitely lingers on with the addition of breathtaking Himalyan visuals, shot mostly during dawn or dusk. Dude especially loved the way the Bruce Wayne’s confrontation with Ducard in a chamber full of Ninjas was picturized. And also the nightmarish sequences caused the by usage of psychotropic substances; straight out of Salvador Dali imagination [as ’girlnextstore’ put it].
Due credit also goes into the way an ensemble cast of accomplished actors like Freeman, Watanabe, Murphy & Bale was assembled. Freeman shines in brief cameo as Batman’s personal Mr. Q. Cillian Murphy is an actor to watch out for. He was Nolan’s original choice for playing the caped crusader. The director liked him so much that he was anyways cast as villain’s side-kick when he lost the protagonist role to Bale. He justifies the selection with judicious usage of screenspace without resorting to unnecessary theatrics. Neeson towers in the role of the antagonist who’s ready to go to any lengths to fulfill his life’s mission. Bale, of course, steals the show , the TDH dude that he is. It was an absolute delight to watch the clash of these two titans.
Katie Holmes is mostly a studio add-on, forced as a counterpart in similitude to Spidey’s MJ (Dunst). Studio bosses even managed to introduce an unnecessary parting kiss between the lead pair. Though it’s a foil to Nolan’s efforts, probably, intended backup safety mechanism to pull in the crowds; in the unlikely event of Chris not delivering. Fortunately such a need does not arise (and Holmes is no Dunst)
All in all more than a comic hero movie. I have watched it several times and can watch it a couple more without getting bored. Good job, Chris Nolan.