High on Nolan: Batman Begins

It's interesting how ones opinion of a film changes long after the first viewing. When Batman Begins was first released I immediately loved it, and it took me several years to get to a point where I started to notice the flaws in the film. Now before I start railing against this film, may I remark that Christopher Nolan is only partially responsible for this film. Right now, I'm going to say that he's responsible for everything right about the movie. So who is responsible for the disappointing qualities?

David Goyer, the director of The Unborn, isn't what I'd call a good filmmaker. I'm glad that he got in contact with Nolan, because without his we wouldn't have had Batman Begins, and then we wouldn't have the success of The Dark Knight, which is largely the reason Inception was fully funded by Warner Bros. However, the guy just has the aura of scumbaggery to him that you have to hate.

As for the script, it sticks very much to the typical superhero plot structure, and as they barrel towards the end game the plot becomes even more ludicrous. Nolan's goal going into the film was to make a more realistic Batman film, and at minimum he acheived that with Batman Begins. The first hour of the film is absolutely riveting as we learn the backstory of Bruce Wayne, and for the first time are able to register with his character on an emotional level. Christian Bale's performance never stops being interesting, but the plot does start getting muddled going into the third act.

I know how some people believe Rachel looked more attractive when Katie Holmes was playing her, but in all honesty she looked like a prostitute. I had a hard time not hating her in every way, and if Maggie Gylenhaal didn't take the role in the sequel I wouldn't have cared when she... well, something happens in The Dark Knight. I'll get to that later. Ultimately Nolan did a great job of reviving the presumed dead Batman Series, and he'd only go on to do more great work.

3 out of 4 stars