Although it was subsequently overshadowed by its sequel The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins is still a great movie. The Dark Knight had the advantage of jumping right into the action whereas Batman Begins had the burden of setting up the title character’s origin story.
Origin stories often make for the least engaging superhero movies because they’re beholden to familiar story beats and the superheroics that fans came to see don’t begin until at least halfway through the movie. But in the right hands, an origin movie can really stand out, which is what happened with Nolan’s definitive telling of the Caped Crusader’s backstory.
The Script Nails The Traditional “Hero’s Journey” Arc
In covering the Bat’s backstory in more depth than ever before (on the big screen, at least), Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer’s script for Batman Begins nailed the traditional “hero’s journey” arc found in every crowd-pleasing blockbuster from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings.
After following a familiar “hero’s journey” narrative in Batman Begins, Nolan expanded the scope in the sequels. The Dark Knight is a slick neo-noir in the mold of Heat, capturing contemporary fears through the lens of the Joker’s reign of terror, and The Dark Knight Rises is an epic pastiche of A Tale of Two Cities that stages the French Revolution on the streets of Gotham.
Christian Bale Gave The Most Layered Performance As Batman To Date
The easiest way for an actor to play Batman is to figure out how to play Bruce Wayne and simply put on a growly voice when he’s wearing the cowl. But the actors that have gone above and beyond, like Michael Keaton and Kevin Conroy, have really sunk their teeth into the character’s duality.
Christian Bale went a step further in Batman Begins. He played Bruce Wayne as four different characters: the hard-boiled Batman alter ego, the carefree bachelor that Bruce pretends to be to keep up appearances, the young man seeking revenge, and the older, more scornful man figuring out the dark purpose of his life.
Nolan Is Just As Interested In The Man Behind The Mask As His Superhero Alter Ego
Ben Affleck’s brilliant portrayal of Batman in the DCEU’s infancy really stood out when he was playing Bruce Wayne in his civilian life. Affleck nailed the rage simmering under the surface. Unfortunately, Zack Snyder only let him explore this side of the character in glimmers because he seemed to be much more interested in having Batman kill a bunch of guys in a warehouse and fight Doomsday with a pump-action shotgun.
Christopher Nolan, on the other hand, was just as interested in the man behind the mask as his badass superhero alter ego — if not more so.
It Filled In The Gap Between Bruce’s Parents’ Murder And His Career As Batman
Most Batman movies skip over a large chunk of the Bat’s origin story. They skipped from the familiar sight of Thomas and Martha Wayne being gunned down in an alley — complete with Martha’s pearls falling to the ground — to their young son being all grown up and dressing as a bat to fight crime. There’s a huge amount of middle ground that Tim Burton’s Batman and Zack Snyder’s BvS jumped past.
In Batman Begins, that gap is the meat of the story. Nolan was in no rush to get Christian Bale in the cowl — he took his time explaining how Bruce developed his Bat-gadgets and trained to become a world-class fighter before he started cleaning up the streets of Gotham.
It’s About Bruce’s Search For A Father Figure
Not a lot of superhero movies explore complex human themes, but Batman Begins is ultimately about Bruce’s search for a father figure. He finds a seemingly trusty mentor in Henri Ducard, but he ends up betraying him.
Bruce’s main emotional arc in this movie is realizing that his true father figure — the one who raised him and whom he can always depend on — is Alfred. Speaking of which…
Michael Caine Is The Best Alfred
Arguably, the heart and soul of a Batman movie is Alfred Pennyworth. The tragedy of Bruce Wayne is that his wealth and power are meaningless when he has to suffer the childhood trauma of watching both his parents get murdered in front of him. Alfred stepped up to the plate and raised Bruce as his own son.
Michael Gough, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and Jeremy Irons all had great takes on the character, but the only actor who has explored the full emotional potential of his father-son dynamic with Bruce is Michael Caine, who developed a tangible, heartfelt connection with Christian Bale in Batman Begins that only got stronger as the trilogy went on.
B-Tier Villains Kept The Story Focused On Batman
Nolan opted to use two B-tier villains as the antagonists of his first Batman movie. The Scarecrow and Ra’s al Ghul are both beloved characters, and Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson give terrific performances in the movie, but they’re not on the same fan-favorite level as icons like the Riddler or the Penguin.
Whereas the sequels were stolen by the Joker and Bane, Batman Begins used B-tier villains to keep the spotlight squarely on Batman himself in setting up this gritty new incarnation of the character.
Nolan’s Telling Of The Origin Story Explicitly Ties Bat Imagery To Bruce’s Childhood Trauma
In Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer’s version of Batman’s origin story, bat-related imagery is integral to Bruce Wayne’s childhood trauma.
In Batman Begins, Bruce’s parents only end up in the alley where they get murdered because Bruce was scared of the performers wearing bat costumes in the show they were watching and made them leave early. In this version of the story, dressing up as a bat is Bruce’s way of confronting his worst fears.
The Story Takes Its Time
The slower pacing of Batman Begins works wonders. Nolan doesn’t rush into the vigilante action. He takes the time to make the audience care about Bruce as a person first so that when the action does take place, it’s not just mindless spectacle — it also resonates emotionally.
As a result of this approach, Batman Begins is less rewatchable than its sequels, but this is a common foible of origin movies. It certainly has a lot more staying power than the average superhero origin movie.
Batman Isn’t A Great Crimefighter Straight Away
In most superhero movies, once the hero has acquired their powers, they’re great at their new job straight away. But in Batman Begins — hailed for its realism — the Dark Knight isn’t a very skilled crimefighter from the offset. It takes a while for him to get the hang of it.
Nolan was heavily influenced by Year One in his telling of Batman’s origins, and it shows in the Bat’s inexperience in his early superhero career in Batman Begins.
