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Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. Christopher Nolan directed the film, which stars Christian Bale as Batman, as well as Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Tom Wilkinson. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of the character with inspirations from classic comic book storylines such as Batman: The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween.
After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the critical and commercial failure of Batman and Robin (1997), Nolan and Goyer began work on this film in 2003. Aiming for a dark and realistic tone, the filmmakers created a new interpretation of the Batmobile, here a military vehicle called the "Tumbler". The film was primarily shot in England and Chicago, and relied on traditional stunts and miniatures; computer-generated imagery was used minimally. Batman Begins was critically and commercially successful, and a sequel titled The Dark Knight was commissioned for a 2008 release with both Nolan and Bale returning.
Plot
Eight-year-old Bruce Wayne falls into a cave where he encounters a swarm of bats. Bruce develops a fear of bats, and later urges his parents to leave an opera featuring bat-like creatures. Outside the theater, Bruce Wayne's parents are both killed in a robbery by mugger Joe Chill. Bruce blames himself for his parents' murder: had he not been frightened, the Waynes would not have encountered Chill.
After coming of age, Bruce returns to Gotham City from Princeton University intent on killing Chill, whose prison sentence is being suspended in exchange for testifying against mob boss Carmine Falcone. One of Falcone's henchmen kills Chill. Bruce tells his childhood friend Rachel Dawes about his foiled plan, and she expresses disgust for his blind vengeance without regard for justice. Bruce confronts Falcone, who tells him that he is ignorant of the nature of crime, so Bruce decides to travel the world to understand the criminal mind. After nearly seven years, he is eventually detained in China for theft (ironically of Wayne Enterprises cargo), where he meets Henri Ducard. He invites Bruce to join an elite vigilante group, the League of Shadows, led by Ra's al Ghul. Bruce is freed and travels to a mountaintop to begin his combat training with the League, who intend to use him to destroy Gotham. Bruce passes all the League's training, overcoming his childhood phobia in the process, but when ordered to execute a criminal, he turns on the League, destroying their headquarters. Ra's al Ghul dies and Bruce rescues an unconscious Ducard from the wreckage and leaves his mentor at a nearby village.
Image:Blueflower.jpg
The blue flower that Bruce Wayne is instructed to gather. The flowers are the source of the same hallucinogenic compound used by Scarecrow to taint Gotham's water supply.
Bruce Wayne returns to a Gotham City that is mostly ruled by Falcone and begins plotting a one-man war against the corrupt system. He seeks the help of Rachel, now an assistant district attorney, and police sergeant Jim Gordon, who consoled him in the aftermath of his parents' murder. After reestablishing his connections to his father's company, Wayne Enterprises, Bruce is able to acquire, with the help of former board member Lucius Fox, a prototype armored car and an experimental armored suit. In his new Batman costume, he disrupts a drug shipment by Falcone and leaves the mob boss tied to a searchlight, forming a makeshift Bat-Signal. He also disrupts an assassination attempt on Dawes, leaving her with evidence against a judge on Falcone's payroll. While investigating the "unusual" drugs in the shipment, Batman is stunned by sinister psychopharmacologist Dr. Jonathan Crane, who sprays him with a powerful hallucinogen. Bruce's butler Alfred Pennyworth rescues Bruce, who receives an anti-toxin developed by Fox. Crane later poisons Rachel after showing her that the toxin, which is harmful only in vapor form, is being piped into Gotham's water supply. Batman saves her. The police enter Arkham Asylum and arrest Crane while Batman escapes with Rachel. After administering the antidote to Rachel in the Batcave, he gives her two vials of it for Gordon – one for the detective to inoculate himself, and another to mass produce for the city's population.
During his birthday party in Wayne Manor, Bruce is confronted by a group of League of Shadows ninjas led by Ducard, who reveals himself to be the real Ra's al Ghul, and that the man killed earlier was a decoy. Ra's, who had been conspiring with Crane, plans to destroy Gotham by distributing the toxin undetected via Gotham's water supply and then vaporizing it with a microwave emitter stolen from Wayne Enterprises. Bruce, tricking his guests into leaving, fights briefly with Ra's while the League of Shadows set fire to Wayne Manor. Bruce escapes the inferno with Alfred's help just as the manor is destroyed. Batman arrives at the "Narrows" section of Gotham to aid the police in battling psychotic criminals, including Crane, who the League set free from the asylum. Rachel is confronted by but wards off Crane; Batman rescues Rachel when more criminals go after her. Batman intimates his identity to her while leaving Gordon in control of the Batmobile to stop the elevated train that is being used to transport the vaporizer to the city's central water hub. Batman battles Ra's aboard the train, then escapes just as Gordon topples the elevated line using the Batmobile's missiles, leaving Ra's to crash to the ground with the train.
Following the battle, Batman becomes a public hero. Bruce gains control of Wayne Enterprises and installs Fox as CEO, firing Earle. However, he is unable to hold onto Rachel, who cannot reconcile her love for Bruce Wayne with his dual life as Batman. Gordon, newly promoted to lieutenant, unveils a Bat-Signal for Batman. Gordon mentions a criminal who, like Batman, has "a taste for the theatrical", leaving a Joker playing card at his crime scenes. Batman promises to investigate it. As Batman is leaving, Gordon mentions that he hasn't thanked Batman for what he has done. Batman replies that Gordon will never have to, and flies off into the night.
Cast
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A billionaire industrialist whose parents were killed by a mugger when he was eight-years-old. Traveling the world for several years to seek the means to fight injustice, he returns to Gotham. At night, Wayne becomes Batman, Gotham City's secret vigilante protector. Bale was cast on September 11 2003,[1] having expressed interest in playing Batman since Darren Aronofsky was planning his own film adaptation.[2] Nolan was also considering Billy Crudup, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Joshua Jackson, Eion Bailey and Cillian Murphy for the role.[1] Bale felt the previous films underused Batman's character, overplaying the villains instead.[3] To best pose as Batman, Bale studied graphic novels and illustrations of the superhero.[4]
Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."[5] Goyer stated that while some actors could play a great Bruce Wayne or a great Batman, Bale could portray both radically different personalities.[6] Bale described the part as playing four characters: the raging Batman persona; the idiotic playboy façade Bruce uses to ward off suspicion; the vengeful young man; and the older, angrier Bruce who is discovering his purpose in life.[7] Bale's dislike of his costume, which heated up regularly, helped him get into a necessarily foul mood. He said, "Batman's meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be – not a man in a suit, but a different creature."[4]
Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain one hundred pounds in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role. At first he went well over the weight required, creating concern over whether he'd look right for the part. Bale recognized that his large physique was not appropriate for Batman, who relies on speed and strategy. He managed to lose the excess muscle by the time filming began.[6] The role of Bruce Wayne at age eight was portrayed by Gus Lewis.
Nolan wanted an all-star supporting cast, like Richard Donner's Superman film, which lend a more epic feel and credibility to the story.[6] These include:
- Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth: The trusted butler to Bruce Wayne's parents, who continues his loyal service to their son after their deaths. He is Bruce Wayne's closest confidante. Nolan felt Caine would effectively portray the foster father element of the character.[6] Though Alfred's family is depicted in the film as having served the Wayne family for generations, Caine created his own backstory, in that before becoming Wayne's butler, Alfred served in the Special Air Service. After being wounded, he was invited by Thomas Wayne because, "He wanted a butler, but someone a bit tougher than that, you know?"[8]
- Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard: Calling himself Henri Ducard, but in reality is Ra's Al Ghul, Ducard trains Bruce in ninjitsu, a form of martial arts. Writer David Goyer said he felt Ra's was the most complex Batman villain, comparing him to Osama bin Laden as, "He's not crazy in the way that all the other Batman villains are. He's not bent on revenge; he's actually trying to heal the world. He's just doing it by very draconian means."[9] Since Neeson is most commonly cast as a mentor, the revelation that he was the main villain was a shock to critics and moviegoers.[6]
- Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes: A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who serves as Gotham City's assistant district attorney, fighting against the corruption in the city. Nolan found a "tremendous warmth and great emotional appeal" in Holmes, and also felt "she has a maturity beyond her years that comes across in the film and is essential to the idea that Rachel is something of a moral conscience for Bruce".[10]
- Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow: A psychiatrist who works at Arkham Asylum and has developed fear-inducing toxins. He takes on the persona of the Scarecrow to intimidate others. Nolan decided against Murphy for Batman, before casting him as Scarecrow.[11] Murphy read numerous comics featuring the Scarecrow, and discussed making the character look less theatrical with Nolan. Murphy explained, "I wanted to avoid the Worzel Gummidge look. Because he's not a very physically imposing man he's more interested in the manipulation of the mind and what that can do."[12]
- Gary Oldman as Sgt. James Gordon: One of few uncorrupted Gotham City police officers. He is the officer on duty the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. He shares a special bond with the adult Bruce and thus with Batman. Goyer said Oldman heavily resembled Gordon as drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman: Year One.[6] Nolan originally wanted him to play a villain, but decided it would be refreshing for Oldman to play a good guy. "I embody the themes of the movie which are the values of family, courage and compassion and a sense of right and wrong, good and bad and justice," Oldman said of his character.[13] Oldman mostly filmed his scenes in Britain.[14] Chris Cooper had been offered the role, but turned it down because he wanted to spend time with his family.[15]
- Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox: A high-ranking Wayne Enterprises employee who was demoted to working in the company's Applied Science Division, where he conducts advanced studies in biochemistry and mechanical engineering. Fox supplies Bruce Wayne with much of the gear necessary to carry out Batman's mission and is promoted to CEO when Wayne re-possesses the company. Freeman was Goyer's first choice for the role.[6]
Production
Development
In January 2003, Warner Bros. Pictures hired Memento director Christopher Nolan to direct an untitled Batman film,[16] and David S. Goyer signed on to write the script two months later.[17] Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of Batman by "doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before". Nolan said that humanity and realism would be the basis of the origin film. "The world of Batman is that of grounded reality. [It] will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises", said the director. Goyer said that the goal of the film was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne.[18] Nolan felt the previous films were exercises in style rather than drama, and described his inspiration as being Richard Donner's 1978 Superman, in its focus on depicting the character's growth.[2]
Nolan's personal "jumping off point" of inspiration was Batman: The Man Who Falls, a short story about Bruce's travels throughout the world. The early scene in Batman Begins of young Bruce Wayne falling into a well was directly adapted from The Man Who Falls.[19] Batman: The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale, influenced Goyer in writing the screenplay, with the villain Carmine Falcone as one of many elements which were drawn from Halloween's "sober, serious approach".[19] The writers considered having Harvey Dent in the film, but replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized, "we couldn’t do him justice".[20] The sequel to Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, also served as an influence.[21] Goyer used the vacancy of Bruce Wayne's multi-year absence presented in Batman: Year One to help set up some of the film's events in the transpiring years.[22] In addition, the film's Sergeant James Gordon was based on his comic book incarnation in Year One. Frank Miller's Year One plot device about a corrupt police force creating Gordon and Gotham City's need for Batman was also used by the writers of Batman Begins.[19]
Filming
In seeking inspiration from Superman and other blockbuster films of the late 1970s/early 1980s, Nolan based production in England, specifically Shepperton Studios.[10] In January 2004, an airship hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire was rented by Warner Bros. for constructing a set in time for filming in April 2004.[23]
Filming began in March 2004 in Iceland, and Nolan refused a second unit to keep his vision consistent.[24] The crew was hampered by 75 mph (121 km/h) winds, but nonetheless they moved ahead to London by March 20 2004.[25] The building chosen to represent Arkham Asylum was the National Institute for Medical Research building in Mill Hill, north west London, England.[26] The interior shots of Arkham's stairwell were filmed in the then abandoned Midland Grand Hotel near St. Pancras railway station in London. Some scenes were also filmed in Chicago at locations such as Lower Wacker Drive and 35 East Wacker.[27]
Despite the film's darkness, Nolan wanted to make the film appeal to a wide age range. "Not the youngest kids obviously, I think what we’ve done is probably a bit intense for them but I certainly didn’t want to exclude the sort of ten to 12-year olds, because as a kid I would have loved to have seen a movie like this." Nothing gory or bloody was filmed, and the finished film was as intended.[10]
Design
Director Christopher Nolan used the cult science fiction film Blade Runner as a source of inspiration for Batman Begins. The director screened Blade Runner to cinematographer Wally Pfister and two others to show the attitude and style that he wanted to draw from the film. Nolan described the film's world as "an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries", a lesson that he applied to the production of Batman Begins.[28]
Nolan worked with production designer Nathan Crowley to create the look of Gotham City. Crowley and Nolan designed Gotham City to be a large, modern metropolitan area that would reflect the various periods of architecture that the city had gone through. Elements were drawn from New York City, Chicago, and Tokyo, the latter for its elevated freeways and monorails. In Batman Begins, the Narrows was based on the slummish nature of the (now demolished) walled city of Kowloon in Hong Kong.[29]
Batmobile
Crowley started the process of designing the Tumbler for the film by model bashing. One of the parts that Crowley used to create the vehicle was the nose cone of a P-38 Lightning model to serve as the chassis for the Tumbler's jet engine. Six models of the Tumbler were built to 1:12 scale in the course of four months. Following the scale model creation, a crew of over 30 people, including Crowley and engineers Chris Culvert and Annie Smith, carved a full-size replica of the Tumbler out of a large block of Styrofoam, which was a process that lasted two months.[30]
The Styrofoam model was used to create a steel "test frame", which had to stand up to several standards: have a speed of over 100 mph, go from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5 seconds, possess a steering system to make sharp turns at city corners, and to withstand a self-propelled launch of up to 30 feet (9.1 m). On the very first jump test, the Tumbler's front end collapsed and had to be completely rebuilt. The basic configuration of the newly designed Tumbler included a 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine, a truck axle for the rear axle, front tires by Hoosier (which are actually dirt racing tires used on the right rear of open wheel sprint cars) , rear 4x4 mud tires by Interco., and the suspension system of Baja racing trucks. The design and development process took nine months and cost several million dollars.[30]
With the design process completed, four street-ready race cars were constructed, with each vehicle possessing 65 carbon fiber panels and costing $250,000 each to build. Two of the four cars were specialized versions. One version was the flap version, which had hydraulics and flaps to detail the close-up shots where the vehicle propelled itself through the air. The other version was the jet version, in which an actual jet engine was mounted onto the vehicle, fueled by six propane tanks. Due to the poor visibility inside the vehicle by the driver, monitors were connected to cameras on the vehicle body. The professional drivers for the Tumblers practiced driving the vehicles for six months before they drove on the streets of Chicago for the film's scenes.[30]
The interior of the Tumbler was an immobile studio set and not actually the interior of a street-capable Tumbler. The cockpit was over-sized to fit cameras for scenes filmed in the Tumbler interior. In addition, another version of the Tumbler was a miniature model that was 1:5 scale of the actual Tumbler. This miniature model had an electric motor and was used to show the Tumbler flying across ravines and between buildings. However, the actual race car was used for the waterfall sequence.[30]
Batsuit
The filmmakers intended to create a very mobile Batsuit that would allow the wearer to move easily in order to fight and crouch. Previous film incarnations of the Batsuit had been stiff and especially restricted full head movement. Lindy Hemming, the costume designer for Batman Begins, and her crew worked on the Batsuit at an FX workshop codenamed "Cape Town", a secured compound located at Shepperton Studios in London. The Batsuit's basic design was a neoprene undersuit, which was shaped by attaching molded cream latex sections. Batman actor Christian Bale was molded and sculpted prior to his physical training so the team could work on a full body cast. To avoid imperfections picked up by sculpting with clay, plastiline was used to smooth the surface. In addition, the team brewed different mixtures of foam to find the mixture that would be the most flexible, light, durable, and black. The latter presented a problem, since the process to make the foam black reduced the foam's durability.[4]
For the cape, director Christopher Nolan wanted to have a "flowing cloak... that blows and flows as in so many great graphic novels". Hemming's team created the cape out of their own version of parachute nylon that had electrostatic flocking, a process shared with the team by the British Ministry of Defence. The process was used by the London police force to minimize night vision detection. The cape was topped by a cowl, which was designed by Nolan, Hemming, and costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard. The cowl was created to be thin enough to allow motion but thick enough to avoid wrinkling when Bale turned his head in the Batsuit. Churchyard explained the cowl had been designed to show "a man who has angst", so his character would be revealed through the mask.[4]
Special effects
In making Batman Begins, Nolan preferred using traditional stuntwork over computer generated imagery.[2] There were, however, several establishing shots that were CG composite images, that is, an image composed of multiple images. Some examples are Gotham's skyline, exterior shots of Wayne Tower, and some of the exterior monorail shots. The monorail sequence was actually a mix of live-action footage, model work, and CGI.[citation needed]
Film score
- See also: Batman Begins (soundtrack)
The film score for Batman Begins was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Director Christopher Nolan originally invited Zimmer to compose the film score, and Zimmer asked the director if he could invite Howard to compose as well, as they had always planned a collaboration.[31] The two composers collaborated on separate themes for the "split personality" of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. Zimmer and Howard began composing in Los Angeles and moved to London where they stayed for 12 weeks to complete most of their writing.[32] Zimmer and Howard sought inspiration for shaping the score by making set visits to Batman Begins.[33]
Zimmer wanted to avoid composing a film score that had been done before, so the score became an amalgamation of orchestra and electronic music. The film's ninety-piece orchestra[31] was developed from members of various London orchestras, and Zimmer chose to use more than the normal amount of cellos. Zimmer enlisted a choir boy to help reflect the music in the film's scene where Bruce Wayne's parents are killed. "He's singing a fairly pretty tune and then he gets stuck, it's like froze, arrested development", Zimmer said. Zimmer also attempted to add human dimension to Batman, whose behavior would typically be seen as "psychotic", through the music. Both composers collaborated to create 2 hours and 20 minutes worth of music for the film.[33] Zimmer composed the action sequences, while Howard focused on the film's drama.[31]
Themes
Comic book writer and author Danny Fingeroth argued a strong theme in the film was Bruce's search for a father figure; "[Alfred] is the good father that Bruce comes to depend on. Bruce’s real father died before they could establish an adult relationship, and Liam Neeson’s Ducard is stern and demanding, didactic and challenging, but not a father figure with any sympathy. If Bruce Wayne is anyone’s son, it is Alfred’s. [Morgan] Freeman’s Lucius is cool and imperturbable, another steady anchor in Bruce’s life."[34] English professor Mark Fisher of the University of Florida stated Bruce's search for justice requires him to learn from a proper father figure, with Thomas Wayne and Ra's al Ghul being the two counterpoints. Alfred provides a maternal figure of unconditional love, despite the overall lack of focus on a mother figure in Bruce's life.[35]
Fingeroth also argued a major theme in the film is fear, which supports the story of Bruce Wayne becoming a hero. Director Christopher Nolan stated that the idea behind the film was "a person who would confront his innermost fear and then attempt to become it." Fingeroth referred to this film's depiction as "the man with fear – but who rises above it." The theme of fear is further personified by the choice of antagonist – the Scarecrow.[34]
Release
Box office performance
Batman Begins opened on June 15, 2005 in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters,[36] including 55 IMAX theaters.[37] The film ranked at the top in its opening weekend, accumulating $48,745,440,[36] which was seen as "strong but unimpressive by today's instantaneous blockbuster standards". The film's five-day gross was $72.9 million, beating Batman Forever (1995) as the franchise high. Batman Begins also broke the five-day opening record in the 55 IMAX theaters, grossing $3.16 million. Polled moviegoers rated the film with an A, and according to the studio's surveys, Batman Begins was considered the best of all the Batman films. The audience's demographic was 57 percent male and 54 percent people over the age of 25.[37]
The film held its top spot for another weekend, accumulating $27,589,389 in a 43 percent drop from its first weekend.[38] Batman Begins went on to gross $371,853,783 worldwide.[36] It is the second highest grossing Batman film to date, behind Tim Burton's Batman, which grossed $411,348,924 worldwide. In comparison to the previous Batman films, Batman Begins averaged $12,634 per theater, the least of all the Batman films. It was released in more theaters, but sold fewer tickets than any of the others, with the exception of Batman & Robin.[39] Batman Begins was the eighth highest grossing film of 2005 in the US.[40]
Home video
The DVD of Batman Begins was released on October 18, 2005 in both single disc and two-disc deluxe editions.[41] In addition to the film, the deluxe edition contained featurettes and other bonus materials. The edition contained a small paperback booklet, the first Batman story Detective Comics #27, as well as Batman: The Man Who Falls and an excerpt from Batman: The Long Halloween.[42] Batman Begins achieved first place in national sales and rental charts in October 2005, becoming the top-selling DVD in the fourth quarter of 2005. The DVD grossed $11.36 million in rental revenue.[43] The DVD held its position at the top of the sales chart for a second week, but fell to second place behind Bewitched on video rental charts.[44]
Batman Begins was released on HD DVD on October 10, 2006.[45] An Ultimate Collector's Edition of the film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray, to coincide with The Dark Knight in 2008.[46]
Reaction
Awards
Just months after its release, Batman Begins was voted by Empire readers as the 36th greatest film of all time.[47] In 2006, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, and Ramin Djawadi with an ASCAP award for composing a film that became one of the top grossing films of 2005.[48] The film was awarded three Saturn Awards in 2006 as well: Best Actor for Christian Bale, Best Fantasy Film, and Best Writing for Nolan and Goyer.[49] Christian Bale would go on to win a MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.[50] However, Katie Holmes's performance was not well received, and she was nominated for a Razzie award for Worst Supporting Actress.[51] Batman Begins won the fan-based Total Film award for Best Film.[52]
Critical reception
Based on 247 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Batman Begins received an average 84% overall approval rating;[53] the film was more balanced with the 40 critics in Rotten Tomatoes' "Cream of the Crop", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,[54] receiving a 63% approval rating.[55] By comparison, Metacritic calculated an average score of 70 from the 41 reviews it collected.[56] Common criticism focused on the realism behind the character, and certain character portrayals that hindered the film. The film was not without its detractors, with dissension over Nolan's ability to create a complex character and Bale's ability to portray that character. James Berardinelli applauded Nolan and Goyer's work creating more understanding into "who [Batman] is and what motivates him", something Berardinelli felt Tim Burton's film lacked; at the same time, Berardinelli felt the romantic aspect between Bale and Holmes did not work because the actors lacked the chemistry Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder (Superman), or Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) shared in their respective roles.[57] According to Total Film, Nolan manages to create such strong characters and story that the third-act action sequences cannot compare to " the frisson of two people talking", and Katie Holmes and Christian Bale's romantic subplot has a spark "refreshingly free of Peter Parker/Mary Jane-style whining".[58]
Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan, who felt the film began slowly, stated that the "story, psychology and reality, not special effects", assisted the darkness behind Batman's arsenal; he noted that Neeson and Holmes, unlike Bale's ability to "feel his role in his bones", do not appear to fit their respective characters in "being both comic-book archetypes and real people".[59] The New Yorker's David Denby did not share Berardinelli and Turan's opinion. He was unimpressed with the film, when comparing it to the two Tim Burton films, and that Christian Bale's presence was hindered by the "dull earnestness of the screenplay", the final climax was "cheesy and unexciting", and that Nolan had resorting to imitating the "fakery" used by other filmmakers when filming action sequences.[60]
J.R. Jones, from the Chicago Reader, criticized the script, and Nolan and David Goyer for not living up to the "hype about exploring Batman's damaged psyche".[61] Matthew Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune believed Nolan and Miller managed to "comfortably mix the tormented drama and revenge motifs with light hearted gags and comic book allusions", and that Nolan takes the series out of the "slam-bang Hollywood jokefests" the franchise had drifted into.[62] Comic book scribe and editor Dennis O'Neil stated that he "felt the filmmakers really understood the character they were translating", citing this film as the best of the live-action Batman films.[63] Roger Ebert, who gave mixed reviews to the previous films, writing this was "the Batman movie I've been waiting for; more correctly, this is the movie I did not realize I was waiting for". Giving it four out of four stars, he commended the realistic portrayals of the Batman arsenal — the Batsuit, Batcave, Batmobile, and the Batsignal — as well as the focus on "the story and character" with less stress on "high-tech action".[64] Bruce Newman echoed Ebert's sentiment over the realism of the film, stating Nolan and Goyers "reverse-engineered" character gives an "aura of realism"; Newman felt the casting of Neeson and Watanabe were a "distracting resemblance" to their character portrayals in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and The Last Samurai respectively, but that Gary Oldman was a "welcome piece of reverse casting" for the role of James Gordon.[65]
Like Berardinelli, USA Today's Mike Clark thought the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes was "frustratingly underdeveloped"; he felt Bale performed the role of Batman as well as he did Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.[66] Kyle Smith thought Bale exhibited "both the menace and the wit he showed in his brilliant turn in American Psycho", and that the film works so well because of the realism, stating, "Batman starts stripping away each layer of Gotham crime only to discover a sicker and more monstrous evil beneath, his rancid city simultaneously invokes early ’90s New York, when criminals frolicked to the tune of five murders a day; Serpico New York, when cops were for sale; and today, when psychos seek to kill us all at once rather than one by one."[67] In contrast, Salon.com's Stephanie Zacharek felt Nolan did not deliver the emotional depth expected of "one of the most soulful and tortured superheroes of all"; she thought Bale, unlike Michael Keaton who she compared him to, failed to connect with the audience underneath the mask, but that Gary Oldman succeeds in "emotional complexity" where the rest of the movie fails.[68] However, Tim Burton, director of Batman and Batman Returns, called the film "very touching and very good".[69]
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