Batman Begins, 2005

As fan of some of the the vivid, occasionally retro-trippy stylings of previous Batmans, I had to move on and take this on its own merits. The archetypal Batman palimpsest has the previous hieroglyphics scraped off, with traces remaining, for the use of our new age. Taking off Somerset Maugham's "Razor's Edge," a newly serious young hero travels to the Far East and flounders on the margins there seeking meaning from life following the senseless murder of his parents. Then he gets involved in some ninja martial discipline stuff---I moaned a bit at the shameless trendiness of it---but it works out OK. Interestingly, this Bush Jr-era film initially makes you think it is a guns-and-vigilante proponent but ultimately snares you by the end to see that it is something else pretty much altogether---a portrait of Batman as originally and forever wanting peace and engaging in violence only as necessary. So it neatly plays both sides of the mass market. Thus this Batman is a more regular guy, and psychologically not so murky. A little less gay than usual maybe? Anyway, although Wayne Manor, looking ridiculously unAmerican (obviously a late 18th-century British manor house; maybe why -- spoiler -- they burned it down?) and Michael Caine as the trusty retainer are there, the emphasis is on the psychology rather than the gimmicks. I was not overwhelmed by the film, but it gave me a certain reliable pleasure, and looking back on it, the reason it grows on me a bit on reflection is because of that character realism. [The best of the older Batmans stand up on their own: Tim Burton's breakthrough 1989 one is good, but his "Batman Returns" is too over the top even for me. Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" is very witty both visually and thematically. Even the sometimes lamented "Batman and Robin" has some great stylish moments, despite its partial try-to-please-everyone Batgirl misstep. But they all must be considered separately from this reconceived take on it.] 3.4 stars. 8.09

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