Batman Begins
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy
Following the tragic demise of his parents, Bruce Wayne withdraws into the shadows and becomes a member of an elite group of warriors known as the League of Shadows. When he discovers that his mentors are plotting to overthrow Gotham, Bruce returns to his childhood home and embraces a new destiny as Gotham’s dark guardian; a destiny that will strike fear into the villains who are terrorizing Gotham and create within Bruce a new identity – the dark knight known as Batman.
Fear is one of the predominant themes in “Batman Begins”, but it is expressed in very different ways by Bruce Wayne and his nemesis, Ra's Al Ghul.
When Bruce is a child, he develops an extreme fear of bats after a terrifying fall into a cavern causes him to be attacked by them. When his parents are murdered, Bruce is overcome with pain and guilt because feels that his fear is the catalyst that led to his parent’s demise. When Bruce journeys to the home of Ra's Al Ghul to be trained as a ninja, he learns to confront his fear and face the truth of his parent’s demise. When Bruce returns to protect the people of Gotham, his choice to become Batman is so his enemies will know the same fear that he felt as a child.
For Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, fear serves a different purpose entirely. Rather than using fear as a catalyst to bring criminals to justice like Batman does, they use the essence of fear to bring the people of Gotham’s darkest nightmares to life. Although their ultimate purpose is to destroy Gotham literally through fear, the ironic twist is that the warrior that they created to destroy Gotham – Batman – is the very hero that saves Gotham from being destroyed by them.
“Batman Begins” is the first chapter in “The Dark Knight” trilogy, and while the movie is not without flaws, it is still an excellent installment to the “Batman” franchise. The story is intriguing because it brings to light an element of Batman’s life that hasn’t really been covered in the previous films: Batman’s backstory. The casting for this film is excellent both for Christian Bale as Batman and for the supporting characters as well. If you enjoy “Batman” then this trilogy is definitely worthy of your time.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy
Following the tragic demise of his parents, Bruce Wayne withdraws into the shadows and becomes a member of an elite group of warriors known as the League of Shadows. When he discovers that his mentors are plotting to overthrow Gotham, Bruce returns to his childhood home and embraces a new destiny as Gotham’s dark guardian; a destiny that will strike fear into the villains who are terrorizing Gotham and create within Bruce a new identity – the dark knight known as Batman.
Fear is one of the predominant themes in “Batman Begins”, but it is expressed in very different ways by Bruce Wayne and his nemesis, Ra's Al Ghul.
When Bruce is a child, he develops an extreme fear of bats after a terrifying fall into a cavern causes him to be attacked by them. When his parents are murdered, Bruce is overcome with pain and guilt because feels that his fear is the catalyst that led to his parent’s demise. When Bruce journeys to the home of Ra's Al Ghul to be trained as a ninja, he learns to confront his fear and face the truth of his parent’s demise. When Bruce returns to protect the people of Gotham, his choice to become Batman is so his enemies will know the same fear that he felt as a child.
For Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, fear serves a different purpose entirely. Rather than using fear as a catalyst to bring criminals to justice like Batman does, they use the essence of fear to bring the people of Gotham’s darkest nightmares to life. Although their ultimate purpose is to destroy Gotham literally through fear, the ironic twist is that the warrior that they created to destroy Gotham – Batman – is the very hero that saves Gotham from being destroyed by them.
“Batman Begins” is the first chapter in “The Dark Knight” trilogy, and while the movie is not without flaws, it is still an excellent installment to the “Batman” franchise. The story is intriguing because it brings to light an element of Batman’s life that hasn’t really been covered in the previous films: Batman’s backstory. The casting for this film is excellent both for Christian Bale as Batman and for the supporting characters as well. If you enjoy “Batman” then this trilogy is definitely worthy of your time.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.