Holy plot, moviegoers! This ‘Batman’ has one

JOHN DEPKO

“Batman Begins” is bigger, better and far more satisfying than any of

its predecessors. It has all the top-notch special effects anyone

would expect in a major superhero blockbuster. But director

Christopher Nolan adds real depth and intrigue to the well-known

story by concentrating on the personal and emotional realities of the

principal players.

Top-notch actors bring life and credibility to each character. Few

films have major stars -- such as Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam

Neeson and Gary Oldman -- filling the supporting roles. They not only

give life to their own complex parts, but they each fully complement

Christian Bale’s outstanding dual performance as billionaire Bruce

Wayne and his newly created Batman. Katie Holmes is striking as the

idealistic district attorney prosecutor who is also his potential

love interest.

This screenplay offers insight into the formative years that

compelled Wayne to become his crime-fighting alter ego. Nolan covers

these intricate developments at an intelligent pace. Fully half of

the movie unfolds before the pensive Wayne ever dons a bat mask.

Especially noteworthy are Neeson as Wayne’s mysterious mentor, and

Caine as Alfred, the loyal family butler.

Of course, big-budget summer hits based on comic-book heroes are

bound to contain impossible but spectacular scenes. This “Batman”

dutifully provides several head-spinning, white-knuckle thrill rides

throughout the movie.

But alongside all the loud excitement, there’s a human element

that gives this production an extra dimension not usually found in

the genre.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

*

Holy bat guano! After seeing the last Batmess eight years ago,

starring George Clooney and the Governator, I wouldn’t have thought

Bob Kane’s comic book superhero was worth reviving on the big screen.

But “Batman Begins” is great summer entertainment and is sure to

generate at least one sequel.

As written by director Christopher Nolan (“Memento”) and David

Goyer (the “Blade” trilogy), this Batman and Gotham City are edgier,

more sophisticated and more visually stunning than in the four

previous movies. Gone is the campy humor and Hollywood stunt casting.

This is a tale of a man with serious childhood traumas who learns

to channel his fear and anger to evolve into the Dark Knight, a grim

seeker of justice in a once idyllic city, now another victim of

corporate greed and corruption. The villains wear exquisitely

tailored suits and are without superpowers, except perhaps for their

vast wealth.

Christian Bale (“American Psycho”) portrays Bruce Wayne, Batman’s

alter ego, like a modern-day Hamlet. Handsome but humorless, his

intensity threatens to undermine the film before he even gets into

Batmode. The wonderful supporting cast redeems it, however.

Michael Caine is perfect as the unflappable Alfred, the faithful

longtime manservant of the Wayne family. Liam Neeson is the elegant

“Jedi master” of crime who first meets up with Bruce in some vaguely

Mongolian-looking prison camp. Morgan Freeman, a forgotten employee

in the basement of Wayne Enterprises, is delightful as a James

Bond-like “Q” who supplies all the wonderful Batgadgets.

These three old pros really add wit, polish and lightness to their

scenes and get the best lines in the film.

Katie Holmes is a pretty, if chaste, love interest for Bruce, and

Gary Oldman is surprisingly colorless as good cop Jim Gordon --

perhaps he’s better suited for his standard movie roles as psychotic

villains.

“Batman Begins” does have a very nasty villain, memorably played

by Cillian Murphy (“28 Days Later”), in Dr. Jonathan Crane -- whose

asylum and panic-inducing drugs are more terrifying than any bombs,

bats or bullets.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.