2005: A Prequel Odyssey. Review on Batman Begins Movie

Having not grown up with the Superman movies, being too young to appreciate Tim Burton’s dark introduction to Batman (1989), yet being an avid comic-book reader since I’ve been 10 (thanks, granpa!), this is something I’ve waited for. After the dazzling Spiderman 2 which outshone its predecessor, here’s IMHO the best super hero adaption ever on screen!!

Batman Begins (2005) is a blend of the dark, gothic atmosphere of the first movie and the tormented, realistic portrayal of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances we saw in Spiderman 1. In fact, all these stories have a common formula:

Phase 1: Traumatic or lost childhood

Phase 2: Loss of one or more loved ones

Phase 3: Unrequited love during teens and after

Phase 4: A motive to fight crime, usually personal tragedy

Phase 5: Tons of money to fund fancy gadgets and costumes

Phase 6: Years of adventures and duplicity ahead!

Then it's 50 years of comic-book glory, while they go through daily lives as pathetic wimps--- donning a mask to bash the bad guys and save the world!

But then, these are comic books. Not Pulitzer tomes. They reflect the dreams and fantasies of a tired society. They start by putting a smile on the lips and before “The End” they will make you sigh with relief. In that, they really save the world! Enjoy them as such and you will not be disappointed.

Anyone who has read the original Batman comics would notice the dull grey suit and blue cape that was replaced by a black body suit in the recent books and movies. To me, Batman had always been a poor cousin to Superman. Supey could really fly (not glide), he had true X-ray vision, he was Super-man because he had super powers. Batman was just an ordinary kid who developed some muscles, made friends with Superman and, with some effort, managed to glide from the third floor into an alleyway. He couldn’t dodge bullets, he couldn’t melt steel-doors. Hell, he couldn’t even be a rail-track while the train ran over him. So he goes to a tailor and gets himself a fancy “superhero” costume and some bright chaddi to wear over the pants. It still meant that he needed to piggyback on a true superhero, someone with asli talent. That was one reason why I loved the comics where Superman and Batman fought together. Like Sholay? :=)

As I grew up and learnt the origins of Batman, that view changed completely. Ironically, in the decades later, Batman's brooding proved to have a more lasting appeal than the glamour of Superman.

Both the heroes were created at the end of 1930s when America was reeling under the Great Depression. Crime and despair are just two manifestations of economic hardship. When two school-kids came up with the idea of an extraterrestrial superhero saving all our problems in one magic stroke, the audiences lapped it up. Comic book publishers commissioned a host of other such superheroes to ride the demand. Green Lantern, Daredevil, Green Arrow, Tarzan, Tomahawk, Turok, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Thor… the list is endless. “Birdman” was created by Detective Comics (DC) to rival the hot-selling Superman from Action Comics (AC). Bill Finger, the often-unacknowledged co-creator, suggested alterations to the original red costume and bat-wings to remove similarities with Superman. He added the “bat” touches, much like Fox and Alfred help Bruce in the movie, and gave the name-- Batman.

While Bob Kane did the artwork, Finger wrote the stories. Through the initial stories, he developed the personality of Batman as a detective. Batman stories would have brooding, mysterious plots, puzzling clues and intelligent villains. Bruce Wayne had the suave charm of Cary Grant, the methodology of Sherlock Holmes and the seething anger of the post-Depression readers. In contrast, Superman was more action-oriented, the denouement being loadsa fisticuffs and pow-wows.

(Perhaps that is where publishers DC and AC get their names? LOL)

Batman works because he is a mere human. He is triumph of mind over body, of will over evil. He symbolizes the power of human effort over destiny. That is the foundation on which the later comics were built. Over time, the stories evolved and the origins faded till he became just another superhero. Batman Begins takes us back to those roots. In a contemporary way, it chisels the personality of Bruce Wayne till we understand him as a human—not as a legend. This is as much a period film as a fantasy-thriller.

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The performance by Christian Bale is rock solid. He showed his mettle as a teen actor in the Disney movies Newsies and Swing Kids that were popular on Doordarshan Friday nights, long ago. The direction by Chris Nolan, who made ingenious films like Memento and Insomnia, will breathe a fresh life into the franchisee. An all-star supporting cast helmed by the British legend Michal Caine and Morgan Freeman got whistling applause from the audience.

For those who may not have seen a Batman movie yet, Batman Begins is just the place to start....

My wish-list for the sequel? An east-European Superman and an African American Batman pair up to battle pureblood American villain.

;-)