Christopher Nolan is regarded as the one of the best filmmakers in the world today. His recent multi-million hits such as Interstellar and Oppenheimer are believed to go down in history as cult classics and study material for the new filmmakers. One of his movies, Memento, is beloved by so many Indians that it got adapted two times in the country—one in Tamil and one in Hindi. The Hindi adaptation of Memento, named Ghajini, saw the celebrated actor Aamir Khan working in the lead role. Superheros like Batman are very popular too.
Christopher Nolan is an IP in himself. His movies don’t need catchy songs and nude girls—just the name of Christopher Nolan in the credits is enough.
And obviously, like many others, his fame was not linear. It was exponential. And what made his rise so exponential was his adaptation of the Batman character from the DC comics in Batman Begins.
But, what’s so cool about this movie that it’s still regarded as one of the best Batman movie by many? Like many questions, Christopher Nolan makes the answer to this question crystal-clear.
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Plot
DC sure has some really cool storylines up its sleeves. And, Christopher Nolan tapped into that very same potential that the DC’s film department is trying to tap into for years.
Batman Begins starts with Bruce Wayne being in jail, where he is fighting some bullies. And, since he’s on the winning side, it’s Bruce who is punished for his punches, not the unnamed bullies.
Then he meets this one guy who promises to change his life. He knows why Bruce is inside, and he knows how to get him out of what he’s made of his life. And so begins his training.
And so, by overcoming his past, his fears, and his problems, he becomes a hero.
There’s a lot—a DAMN lot—in the movie to praise.
Firstly, I’d just talk about the overall feel of the storyline. The cinematography and the screenwriting perfectly portray the vibes of the Batman.
It’s dark. And it’s mature.
Like other superhero films, it’s not a kids’ movie. And even though it’s a little hard to believe, the movie throws it in your face just perfectly—it’s no jokes. It’s no games. All of this is serious.
Batman is a character who doesn’t joke, after all. Batman means business. And his aura is perfectly portrayed in the film. The story of Bruce Wayne as he becomes the Batman, both literally and metaphorically, is the story of a man rising up from level zero.
Like others such as the Iron Man and Spider-Man, Batman is not going to crack some laughs on screen before giving a tight punch in the face. And, it’s that very essence that distinguishes Batman from the others.
The screenwriting was really mature. There was no fat, and every single action and dialogue advanced the story further.
The story didn’t just tell you stuff in your face—it shows you. No scene felt like it was just added to tell you something, but as things move forward, the characters’ actions reveal their personalities on their own. And that kind of show, not tell story structure is really rare—but equally important—in films.
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Action In This Batman Movie
Action is one of the main ingredients for a superhero film. I mean, you don’t call that guy a superhero who doesn’t even fight, right?
But sadly, there are plenty of movies and shows that fail to tell good stories just because the way they’re filled with unnecessary action.
The thing is—a good superhero film needs reasonable action. A superhero doesn’t fly around picking up fights. I mean, they do, but not always. Action scenes need to advance the storyline and make sure one of the sides—or the viewer—learns something about the other, and not be present just because the audience likes it.
The fight scene needs to have some stakes and consequences. Without them, it feels unnecessary, and the story is better off without those scenes.
Luckily, Batman Begins is for people just like you and me who hate such unneeded action, but absolutely love it when it’s there for a reason.
And, these scenes are really eye-pleasing. I love the way the trains wreck and cars fly and shit like that happens, you know. Christopher Nolan is a master when it comes to directing such action scenes, and he left no stones unturned when it came to such scenes.
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Characters
A story is made by its characters. It’s the characters that move the story forward, after all.
And, the side characters are not really that much interesting. Except the antagonists and the protagonist, there was not really any other interesting character with an interesting set of arc and backstory.
But, it doesn’t mean the characters were bad. They were exceptionally good. Each character had a distinct personality than the other, and their motives were clear. There was real work done on crafting these characters and their traits.
But, in terms of characters, the story really shines on the character of Bruce Wayne. Bruce, before becoming the Batman, was filled with hatred, anger, and vengeance. He hated his past, he feared his past, and he wanted to overcome it. He wanted it to never happen. He thought all of it was his fault. He wanted to do something. He wanted to change it.
He wanted to die. To end it all.
But, he was successfully able to rise on top of it and finally leave it behind. He started to love the city that killed his own parents, and what more character development do you need?
The story makes you sympathize for the character—drown in his depression, and smile on his success.
This gradual development in attitude… felt so smooth.
Another thing I want to absolutely praise about Bruce Wayne is how he changes his whole persona when he’s wearing his mask.
And that’s something that differentiates this film from the other films. The mask changes Bruce. Bruce is darker, more menacing, and more responsible when he’s under that mask. Under that mask, Bruce becomes Batman.
Batman and Bruce Wayne are two distinct characters that live inside the same body. And the story doesn’t fail to make it believable.
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The Climax
Another thing I liked about the film was the way it reached its climax, and the way it all concluded in the end. I won’t be giving you spoilers, but I’d have to praise the way his pasts again come in front of his eyes when the story nears its climax.
I mean, just a few movies are able to actually connect the start and the end of the story so well.
It was an unexpected turn of events, but when we hear the explanation, there’s no way denying that it absolutely makes sense. We never thought about it, but when we do, it makes damn sense to do something like this.
The end not only symbolizes the win of good over evil. It signifies the end of the metamorphosis of the Bruce Wayne as he turns more and more into Batman.
Yeah, in the movie, he slowly shreds what made Bruce the Bruce Wayne, the head of the Wayne Empire, and starts to become the Batman. And there could have been no better end to the movie. Really.
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Conclusion
One thing I hate about the movie is how it felt a little… rushed in the beginning. I wanted scenes to last a little longer, the dialogues to be a little lesser to-the-point. I wanted to see some more of some scenes, because I feel that those little scenes and dialogues would have made some good drama in the story.
But, I need to accept the fact that it was absolutely necessary, because they were not just individual scenes—that this story was never about those individual scenes.
And I guess that’s it for today. I hope you’d love to roam this site around for a few more minutes and read more reviews. And you might find me again somewhere. Until then, sayonara. Bookmark our website for more amazing content!
