‘Batman’ begins another round of sequels

The Batman movie franchise as we know it today started in 1989 with

the release of the Tim Burton-directed “Batman.” Starring Michael

Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman and the unforgettable Jack Nicholson as

The Joker, this alternately dark and campy film got the series off to

an auspicious start.

Burton also directed “Batman Returns” in 1992, which again starred

Keaton in the title role facing the Penguin (Danny DeVito) and

Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). There was a sense of “been there, done

that” with this second film and the two antagonists could not hope to

measure up to Nicholson’s tour de force in the earlier version.

Burton was smart enough to bail out on the Batman series, and

1995’s “Batman Forever” was directed by Joel Schumacher. Decidedly

campier than the two Burton films, “Batman Forever,” with Val Kilmer

in the title role, was saved by the manic performance of Jim Carrey,

perfectly cast as the Riddler.

The next effort, “Batman and Robin” in 1997, again directed by

Schumacher, was thought by some to have killed the franchise

altogether. This truly awful film starred George Clooney as Batman,

Chris O’Donnell as Robin, and a scenery-chewing Arnold Schwarzenegger

as the villainous Mr. Freeze.

Since then, the only major film about a Batman character was last

year’s box office bomb, “Catwoman,” starring Halle Berry. Aficionados

of Batman were relegated to the animated videos and television shows,

and the source material: comic books.

With much fanfare, Warner Brothers has resurrected the series with

the newly released “Batman Begins.” This film is directed by

Christopher Nolan, best known for the independent hit “Memento.”

Unfortunately, none of the inventiveness and novelty of that

well-regarded film is evident in “Batman Begins.”

Nolan shares the writing credit with Bob Kane (who invented the

characters for DC Comics) and David S. Goyer. Regrettably, it is

probably Goyer’s influence that is responsible for the overly long

(141 minutes), derivative plot with the endless dark fight scenes

shakily shot by what seems to be a hand-held camera. After all, Goyer

wrote or co-wrote such brainless and forgettable action movie scripts

as the “Blade” series and “The Crow: City of Angels.”

This time out, Bruce Wayne/Batman is played by the relatively

unknown Christian Bale. Even though the origin of the character is

well-known and was told better in the 1989 film, we are forced to

live through the murder of Wayne’s wealthy and philanthropic parents.

This trauma causes young Bruce to begin a quest to understand the

criminal mind, which finally lands him in a Chinese gulag.

Wayne is rescued by a mysterious benefactor named Ducard (Liam

Neeson), who becomes his teacher and mentor and initiates him into a

secret society dedicated to the eradication of evil called the League

of Shadows. It is becoming predictable to cast Neeson in these roles

as he has played similar parts in the recent “Star Wars” epics and

“Kingdom of Heaven.” For reasons I can’t reveal, Wayne eventually

decides to abandon the League of Shadows and return to Gotham City

where he creates and assumes the identity of Batman.

Once in Gotham, Wayne finds a decaying city ruled by mobster

Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson). With most of the city’s police

department corrupted by easy graft, Wayne begins to work with Jim

Gordon (Gary Oldman), seemingly the only honest cop on the force.

Wayne also finds his childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes)

working as an assistant district attorney. Eventually, Wayne subdues

Falcone, only to later realize the city’s corruption goes much

deeper.

“Batman Begins” benefits from some excellent effects, and the

Depression-era architecture and technology of Gotham City itself

provides great visuals. In addition to the actors mentioned

previously, “Batman Begins” has many major stars in roles of varying

importance, including Michael Caine as Alfred the butler, Morgan

Freeman, Rutger Hauer and Ken Watanabe.

There is an interminable wait for the adult Bruce Wayne to finally

assume the identity of Batman. Wayne’s angst grows tiresome quickly

and the setup seems to take forever. Bale’s portrayal is completely

overwrought and the voice he uses as Batman is downright laughable.

Although the hype surrounding Katie Holmes’ engagement to Tom

Cruise has helped publicize this film, her acting leaves much to be

desired. Additionally, she looks younger than her 26 years, which

renders her portrayal of a big-city prosecutor fairly unbelievable.

The film is so dark it is difficult to see what is happening even

though I viewed the movie on one of the county’s biggest screens.

“Batman Begins” smacks of self-importance and has a solemn tone

that never lets up. Batman is, after all, literally comic book

material and this seriousness is only suitable for the weightiest

subjects. Even “Cinderella Man,” which is a gritty portrayal of the

Depression, doesn’t seem so heavy-handed.

Bale appears to be having no fun with the part whatsoever and, in

my view, does not have the charisma to overcome the flat screenplay.

In what feels like a tacked-on segment, “Batman Begins” concludes

with an allusion to a sequel. Any decline in quality from this

troubled film will most likely retire the franchise for another

decade.

* VAN NOVACK, 50, is the director of institutional research at Cal

State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife

Elizabeth.

A different take on the superhero story

Every movie tells the same story. Whether the story is set in the

past or the future, whether it is about a grown adult or young kid,

or the genre is a comedy or drama, every movie essentially tells the

same story: the main character wants or needs something and endures

unexpected obstacles before satisfying the want or need.

The basic story template has been in use ever since Aristotle laid

out the three-act structure centuries ago. Changing the “who, what,

when, where, why and how” makes the same story seem original and

exciting again, just like putting it through the washing machine.

So why tell the same story with the same characters, and

essentially the same events, so soon on the heels of the 1989

box-office hit “Batman?” Because “Batman Begins” is a different

interpretation of the story of Batman, providing additional

information that gives greater depth to the dark and brooding hero,

Bruce Wayne.

Guilt and blame are the twin engines driving Bruce Wayne down a

destructive path of revenge. The wealthy orphan knows he is at fault

for his parents’ deaths. Bruce believes his own weakness about bats

caused the tragedy.

Given the circumstances, Bruce’s belief is understandable, though

not necessarily true. Out of the experience, Bruce Wayne grows up and

wants to be free of his fears while seeking revenge for his parents.

Like Buddha, Bruce Wayne leaves behind all his worldly possessions

as he sets off to accomplish his goals. After meeting and being

trained by a master of martial arts, Bruce replaces his desire for

revenge with a desire to seek justice. The change sets Bruce off in a

direction that starts to heal his childhood wounds.

Christian Bale is unknown to mainstream audiences and familiar to

fans of art house movies like “Topanga Canyon.” Best known for his

role as the boy in Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun,” Christian

Bale has built a career playing dark and disturbing addicts, killers

or depressed adults that proves good experience for playing the role

of Bruce Wayne/Batman with believability.

Another reason for having an unknown star play the hero is the

benefit to the audience. Bruce Wayne/Batman grows from the ground up,

not just in age but in terms of the skills and the means to carry out

his goals. Watching a stranger play the lead role lets viewers have a

vicarious experience with what is happening to the character. Being

able to identify with the character helps the audience make a

personal connection with the movie in a way viewers might not be able

to if they were focused more on the movie star playing the hero.

Although a stranger works as the lead, the use of award-winning

and crowd-pleasing actors in supporting roles enhances the

credibility of the hero. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman,

Gary Oldman and Rutger Hauer play characters with pivotal roles in

the development of Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting Batman persona. The

role of Rachel (Katie Holmes), however, needs upgrading from a

helpless love interest in danger into a character that can function

in today’s world, rather than 60 years ago.

And yet the exact time and place of “Batman Begins” remains

nebulous throughout the story. The mixture of World War II-era

England and the futuristic cityscape of Metropolis produces a

parallel universe of time and space effect. Most of the worlds

portrayed in the character-driven film are foreign to viewers, from

the lavish Wayne castle to the remote secret hideaway of a secret

society perched on a mountain.

Rated PG-13, “Batman Begins” has an age 8 to 80 appeal because it

blends human struggle with action in a seamless manner. The newest

interpretation of Batman makes the story new again and worth the

price of admission at the theater.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 40, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.