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Brookelynn Rhyne (L30463758)
Prof. Durrell Nelson
CINE 340
5 February 2024
Movie Review Assignment: Batman Begins
As a child, Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of his parents at the hands of Joe Chill, a
man attempting to rob the Wayne family. As a result, Bruce seeks what he believes to be justice
against the man who killed his parents. At Chill’s trial 14 years after the murders, he is granted
parole in exchange for information related to Carmine Falcone, a prominent crime boss in
Gotham City. Bruce Wayne sees this as his opportunity to seek his revenge by shooting Chill,
however one of Falcone’s assassins does so first. Afterwards, Bruce is clearly upset, and
confides in his childhood friend Rachel, who is outwardly disapproving of Bruce’s motives. She
stresses to him that there is in fact a difference between justice and what killing Chill would have
been, revenge. Bruce leaves Gotham in hopes of learning skills that would eventually allow him
to rid Gotham of the crime and corruption that has threatened to consume it for so long. Bruce
finds himself in a Bhutanese prison where he meets Ducard. Ducard trains Bruce as a ninja of the
League of Shadows, however once he completes his training, he learns their true intentions. The
League of Shadows intends to rid Gotham of crime by destroying the city all together. Bruce
Wayne in turn burns down the temple, returns to Gotham, and adopts the persona of Batman.
After his return, Bruce battles Falcone, Dr. Crane, also known as Scarecrow, and the
League of Shadows, who he later found was planning to vaporize the city's toxin-riddled water
supply, creating mass hysteria. To eliminate any conflict, the League set the Wayne mansion on
fire, nearly trapping Bruce inside, but is saved by Alfred. The league begins releasing the toxin,
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but Batman pursues Ra’s and confronts him on the train and escapes just as Sgt. Jim Gordon uses
the Batmobile to destroy the tracks, leaving Ra’s to die in the crash. The film ends with Bruce
Wayne as a public hero, saving Gotham. However, it is not the end, as Jim Gordon introduces a
new criminal. Batman promises to investigate, and then disappears.
According to Johnston, there are four approaches to criticism when assessing a film.
They are as follows, genre criticism, culture criticism, thematic criticism, and auteur criticism.
Johnston states, [when a strategy is] used alone, such criticism can deceive the viewer…But
together, such approaches help us unpack a movie’s power and meaning and prepare the way for
honest and constructive theological criticism” (Johnston, 2006).
In regard to Batman Begins, using the genre criticism approach, Batman begins can be
labeled as an action, thriller and character study. What is particularly striking about the genre of
this film is that it is not even about Batman. It is an origin story of a man who just so happens to,
at the end of the film, turn into Batman. Writer Will Leitch notes “The superhero makes the
movie: Without the superhero, the movie evaporates” (Leitch, 2021). Films such as Iron Man or
Superman, this statement proves true, but for Batman Begins, the same cannot be said. The film
is a story of Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Secondly, to understand Batman Begins, one must
interpret the impact the film has culturally. Batman Begins, and director Christopher Nolan’s
approach to the film, have been said to change the superhero genre forever. “In many ways,
Batman Begins was the first ‘grown-up’ superhero movie, with audiences lapping up its more
mature tone, whilst Hollywood realized, they should start taking the genre more seriously, and
treat it with respect… Countless other filmmakers would take inspiration from this (Murray,
2020). Next, thematic criticism seeks to understand a film through the themes outlined
throughout. The central theme of the Batman Begins film is fear and the power of overcoming it.
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Bruce from a young age was consumed with fear, whether it be the bat infested well, or
witnessing the murder of his parents, it haunted him, and shaped his life choices. His life began
consumed by fear, but he learns to conquer those fears in order to confront the things plaguing
the city of Gotham. By embracing that fear, he becomes a symbol of hope and inspiration to the
people of Gotham. These universal themes are ones that Christopher Nolan truly brought to life
in this film. He took a well known and loved character and adapted it in a way that had never
been done before, thus making all of these themes that much more impactful. Lastly, auteur
criticism speaks to the makers of the movie. According to Johnston, “this reflection is made
more difficult for the film critic due to the collaborative nature of film” (Johnston, 2006).
However, in the best way possible, Christopher Nolan and his team, people like David S. Goyer,
writer, and Wally Pfister, cinematographer, bring the film to life in a cohesive and visually
stunning way. The use of practical effects and minimal CGI contributes to the movie's overall
realism. Nolan is quoted saying, “an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and
describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries” (Nolan, n.d.). The
team behind the screens for this film aimed to expand the boundaries that superhero movies have
been confined to. Nolan sought to display the film in the most realistic way possible, limiting the
use of CGI, knowing that special effects would more realistically convey the messages he sought
to express.
In my opinion, Batman Begins lays the groundwork for the rest of the trilogy. Although
not my favorite of the three movies, this film changes the way that superhero movies are made.
Christopher Nolan’s genius lies in his ability to breathe new life into the Batman franchise.
Nolan’s rendition of Bruce Wayne’s origin story stands out for its bold realism. This movie
reinvented the Batman franchise, grounding Batman in our world, Christopher Nolan gives
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Batman a great origin story. He uses fear as the overarching theme as we see Bruce become his
fear in order to conquer it, and in turn save Gotham. The film had a darker approach, but these
darker themes worked in all the right ways. It was a fresh take on the character and much
different from the fantastical Batman’s we have seen in the past. In my opinion, the lack of CGI
in the film worked as an advantage. Nolan and his cinematic team brought the film to life by how
utterly realistic the set, costumes, landscape, architecture, and everything in between, was. I
think that this film surpasses the expectations for fans around the globe because it is genuinely
consistent. Throughout the film there is the right amount of action accompanied by the right
amount of dialogue and storyline. Batman Begins does so well of standing alone, but also
contributing to the story in the rest of the trilogy. Like mentioned previously, this film in
particular isn’t one about Batman, but rather about the person behind the mask. It takes us on a
journey of discovery, revealing why Bruce Wayne ultimately donned the persona of Batman. All
in all, this film does what it needed to do in regard to the trilogy. It introduced the audience to the
Batman of this generation, made us fall in love with characters like Jim Gordon and Alfred, in a
new way, and changed the way that viewers watched superhero movies forever. Christians Nolan
is a cinematic genius, and like his films before and after, Batman Begins is nothing short of
genius.
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Works Cited
Jangles, Jimmy. “‘the Duality of Batman: Unmasking Identity in “Batman Begins.”’”FThe As-
tromech, 26 May 2023, www.theastromech.com/2023/05/themes-batman-
begins.html#:~:text=Fear%20and%20the%20Power%20of,parents%2C%20is%20engulfed
%20in%20fear.F
Johnston, Robert K.FReel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue. Baker Academic, 2006.F
Leitch, Will. “This Week in Genre History: Batman Begins Was a Real Movie before It Was a
Superhero Flick.”FSYFY Official Site, SYFY, 6 Dec. 2023, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bat-
man-begins-christopher-nolan-anniversary-realistic.F
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