Good afternoon people, sorry it's been quite long since my last post (5 days) unfortunately I haven't been to the cinema to see any of the new films so I thought I would take a trip down memory lane to a film that I hated as a kid, I know love it because I understand it. Batman Begins is the origin story of the cape crusader, what happened outside the theatre, what Bruce did and how we became the Dark knight. No its not completely comic book accurate but who cares it was a turning point for DC heroes.
When this was released in 2005 I was 7 years old, I thought "a Superhero film! awesome" but what I got instead was this long and boring story of this guy who doesn't become Batman until half way through the film, I hated it but as a teenager I learnt to love it and I can honestly say that it is one of the best origin films I have come across (Man of Steel #1) I'm here to tell you why! hope you enjoy
The best thing about this film is that at the time we never had anything like it, we've had cheesy Batman films with nipples and ice hockey. So to receive a completely new and realistic take on this iconic character was both special and nail biting, would it satisfy fans or did we waste the money on our Bat-Credit card? what we got was an interesting take on Bruce Wayne's life and his suffering, this actually caused DC to take quite a dark turn. Unlike Marvel this franchise lacks comedy because it is consumed with negativity, poverty, crime and disorder and the direction they took made him very believable because not only is he human but he is weak at this stage of the film, we see him pushed around and vulnerable at points and thats because he is human, in the comics and games they ditch that aspect to make him "super" but this film really focuses on the fact that he is a guy in a suit.
This film gives us an introduction to most of Batman's technology and it all makes sense because there is some science towards it that makes it believable. We're introduced to his famous Bat-suit which is made out of Kevlar and would cost $300,000, his Batarangs which are custom made, the Tumbler which was a ditched military vehicle and finally his cape which is made out of memory cloth; its not just a rag to make him look cool. All these aspects add up to create an interesting origin story.
Obviously where would Batman be without his legendary fighting skills, Batman Begins shows you exactly what you want, we see him train and bulk up but becoming what he is was more about confronting his fear so he could use it, channel his anger to his advantage and that is what Ra's al Ghul teaches him. What is also interesting throughout the first half of the film is that you see flashbacks during his training and that allows you to compare these two versions of the same character, we have Bruce Wayne who is full of hate and only wants revenge but he argues its justice then we have this newly transformed person who has committed his life to a cause and will follow the rules of justice despite Gothams system being broken and this allows you to see and understand Bruce's journey.
When he returns he's not battling thieves instead he gets something worse that could destroy Gotham so its not like his first few days are the easiest, he's set on fire, drugged, beaten and bruised but he overcame it and prepared himself for the storm and ultimately he does save Gotham (for a while)
Following the same route as the comics, Batman is not liked at first unlike Superman, he's a vigilante taking the law into his own hands and the corrupt police force won't stand for it, Gordon isn't easily convinced as well.
As far as the actual story goes it is fantastic, detailed, clever and unique but there are loads of other factors that contribute to the origins success and my appreciation for the film.
1) Hans Zimmer- you knew this was coming! Hans Zimmer's composed score for this film is utterly brilliant, its beautiful and aggressive, what is quite clever as well is that each track is named after a Bat species, this is actually the last time Batman is used in the title of his own film and its also the last time he uses bats as weapons (cool huh?) Han's soundtrack emphasises Bruce's despair but captures actions scenes brilliantly with intense and catchy orchestral pieces. If you are a fan, I recommend "Mollosus" and "Myotis" both are equally brilliant!
2) The Cast- The cast and crew of this film are flawless, costume designers, actors, camera men... just everyone! the designers of props and costumes bought a lot of realism to the show and focused on making Batman possible, did we expect a giant black tank as the Batmobile; I sure didn't!
The cast features Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman... just look at it. Each actor brings something new to the original characters and that has allowed the comics to evolve quite abit, a feature that shocked a lot of us was of course Batman's voice, I love it because its darker and it really does hide his identity; his aim was to strike fear and this unique voice does that (although there are some moments where you can't help but snigger)
The performances are fantastic especially from Bale and Caine, Bale gave us a new version of the crusader one that we're not quite familiar with because lets face it we've have Adam West (who is awesome) and comic designs who love giving him a huge body and chin to make him look threatening, no disrespect to Bale but he isn't the Batman some grew up with and that created a really interesting response but I think it worked. Bale is definitely one of my favourite Actors who have portrayed Batman.
Woah, I've wrote a lot... woops. I'll finish off hear by giving Batman Begins a solid 8/10. The film is fantastic and a great introduction to an unforgettable trilogy. The film offered a lot of memorable moments and quotes that have stuck with me. Here's a few that I really like.
"you're not the devil, you're practise"
"why do we fall, sir? so we can learn to pick ourselves up"
"A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. but if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely."
Well I hope you enjoyed :)
sorry if I haven't been around much but half term in creeping up which means you may see more of me :)
Act happy!!!
thanks
Until Next time!
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