Review for Batman Begins (2 disc set) (UK) (Review)
Tuesday, 17th August 2010, 17:02

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Introduction
Christopher Nolan has to be the biggest ticket in town right now. He's Hollywood's golden boy, has been afforded the sort of acclaim with his 'debut' Memento that M. Night Shyamalan received when he made The Sixth Sense. Unlike Shyamalan however, Nolan has delivered on the promise of that first movie, and then some. In fact, it seems that every subsequent movie since then has just been bigger and better, and been both critical and commercial dynamite. Right now, the summer movie to see is Inception, which has somehow combined a blockbuster impact with a devilishly smart script. It's an intelligent summer movie, something that for the last thirty odd years many would have considered an oxymoron. All of which in no way goes to explain why I'm watching Batman Begins instead, expect for the fact that it's on my to watch pile, and my reviewing OCD just kicked in. I'll get around to Inception eventually (2015 at this rate).

I must admit that the combination of Christopher Nolan and Batman had me scratching my head when I first heard of it. After all, on the strength of Memento and Insomnia, I'd have thought Nolan perfect for cutting edge, Indie cinema, intelligent, thoughtful and innovative storytelling, not another iteration of a comic book superhero, even if it were one that has been reinvented more times than most. Up to that point, my experience with Batman on screen had been camp, gothic, and gothic and camp. There was the iconic sixties Adam West and Burt Ward television show, the dark and gothic reinvention of Tim Burton, and the descent into tomfoolery that followed under the aegis of Joel Schumacher. It was hard to see what Warners could do to re-energise a franchise that had apparently received the kiss of death in Batman and Robin, with its be-nippled batsuits, and supervillains that would have been embarrassing even in the Adam West series, let alone a multi-million dollar summer blockbuster.

Apparently, Nolan asked a question that could only be asked of this comic book superhero, what if Batman was real? All the other comic book heroes have super powers, have been bitten by radioactive spiders, or come from alien planets. Trappings of the comic books and films aside, Batman is fundamentally human, a vigilante, albeit one backed up with the boundless fortune of his alter ego Bruce Wayne. So the question becomes, what would it take for a man to become a vigilante in this world, what would make him don a batlike costume and hunt criminals by night, how would the trappings of Batman, the utility belt, the Batmobile, all these things actually work in the real world? Suddenly it becomes less of a comic book movie, and more an examination of character, of vigilantism, of the whole philosophy of crime and punishment itself. Forget the gothic nature of Burton's movies, forget the Dark Knight comic books, this becomes true darkness, the darkness in the human soul. Suddenly I'm interested in watching a Batman movie again.

Bruce Wayne is a man haunted by his past, yet uncertain of his future. As a boy he was orphaned when a street robbery went wrong, and it was left to the family butler Alfred to raise him. The mugger was caught, but in a city as corrupt as Gotham, prison bars aren't much of an impediment, and justice is fleeting. Trying to understand that which had torn apart his life, Bruce immersed himself in the underworld, and somehow wound up in prison at the roof of the world. It's there that he comes to the attention of a man named Ducard, who offers him focus in his life, to train in a monastery under Ra's Al Ghul, to join the League of Shadows, to become part of the force that brings justice at any cost. But for the League of Shadows, there is some corruption that cannot be simply cleansed, it must be burned away, and Ra's Al Ghul's plans for Gotham are terminal. Bruce has other plans. He's found the direction in his life that he was looking for. He will become Gotham's protector, a permanent symbol where men are impermanent. He will take on the form of that which struck fear into him as a child, and he will use that fear against his enemies. And he will root out the corruption that taints Gotham City. He will become the Batman, a creature of the night, the bane of the criminal fraternity. Of course for such an endeavour, he'll need some pretty nifty kit. It's a good thing that he's a billionaire then.

Picture
Batman Begins gets a 2.40:1 anamorphic transfer, which as you would expect from such a recent film is top-notch. The image is clear and colourful throughout, and if there is a slight hint of softness, it appears to be a creative choice, as certainly detail levels remain high, and contrast is good. There is slight moiré around fine detail, but that's to be expected at the limits of DVD capabilities. Gotham City gets a very realistic, if slightly tweaked look to it. It could very much be any city in the world, but there's just enough of a drift away from reality to make it a plausible world for the Batman. The action sequences and stunts are spectacular, and unlike many modern blockbusters, are filmed in camera instead of with composites of CGI and green screen. The close up hand-to-hand combat is usually obscured in darkness, but for once that isn't a cause for complaint, Batman is a creature of the night after all.

Sound
Audio comes in DD 5.1 English and German flavours, along with a handful of subtitle languages. It's all as you would expect from a summer action blockbuster, suitably resonant and full blooded a surround track. The dialogue is as clear as you would expect given Christian Bale's rasp as Batman, and some of the characters' tendencies to whisper and understate. Incidentally, the dialogue is pretty choice as well, with plenty of memorable lines and witticisms, as well as an overall depth and intelligence to the plot. The music suits the film well, if not immediately memorable and iconic. But I have to admit the thunderous heartbeat motif that heralds Batman certainly is effective and unique. It's a visceral emotive approach to music and sound design that certainly is a distinctive selling point of the film.

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