With Matt Reeves’ The Batman possibly ushering in a new Batman trilogy, it’s easy to be reminded of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins as it was the first film in his Batman trilogy as well. Letterboxd users have been reviewing it for a while now, and have made some funny remarks regarding the film.
Whether it’s Christian Bale seemingly returning to an old character, Michael Caine’s accent, or Batsuit-related nightmares, Letterboxd users have made some humorous observations and references to the previous Batman iteration.
An Eye For Cillian Murphy
Although he almost played Bruce Wayne since he initially auditioned for the role, Nolan still made it a point to cast Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane, and some viewers partially understand why. Letterboxd user alexlawther mentions that it’s “a big eternal lifelong mood” that Nolan kept having Murphy remove his glasses in scenes due to his fascination with his eyes.
Nolan liked working with Murphy in Batman Begins enough to re-team with him on several of his other future films as well, including the rest of The Dark KnightTrilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk. While his performances receive much acclaim on their own, his eyes may have a tiny bit to do with that as well.
King Joffrey in Gotham
Although still a child actor when he played an innocent young boy in The Narrows in Batman Begins, viewers who watch the film after 2011 have a hard time distancing Jack Gleeson from his most notable role. Letterboxd user hstrawberry says that Batman “should’ve tossed king Joffrey off that balcony”.
While far removed from his antics in Game of Thrones, people think Batman could have prevented the annoyance and atrocities that fans endured during his reign in the HBO show. It’s clear that Gleeson will forever be linked to King Joffrey, for better or worse.
Bat Nipple Nightmares
Since Scarecrow’s fear gas causes victims to see their worst fears, Letterboxd user diamondbolt has an idea to improve the effects of the gas in the film. They state that instead of seeing him as a demon, the fear gas victims in The Narrows should have instead seen Batman’s “suit nipples”.
Joel Schumacher’s Batman films weren’t unanimously loved at the time of their release, and one of the many reasons for this was the addition of nipples to the Batsuit. While maligned at the time, it evidently still gives viewers nightmares to this day.
Sound Mixing Mixups
While much praise has been given to the action and Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score, sometimes it’s undesirable to have too much of a good thing. For example, Letterboxd user huiwun points out that they had to keep “shifting the volume from 100 to 6” due to the differences in the volume of dialogue versus music and explosions in the film.
Although his films like The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk have won Oscars for Sound, a lot of viewers still aren’t fans of the sound mix that Nolan uses. Using subtitles or adjusting the volume at home might be the way to go, but it’s still a nuisance for some.
Michael Caine’s Iconic Accent
Michael Caine’s Cockney accent has arguably become as synonymous with him as his great performances, and Christopher Nolan is clearly a fan. Letterboxd user jack points out that Nolan conducted a “power move” when he made him “pronounce underground railroad”.
Although the film has many prominent British actors such as Christian Bale and Gary Oldman, they are employing American accents, and Liam Neeson’s accent isn’t as strong as Michael Caine’s. Therefore, Alfred is left standing out considerably, but the longer his words are, the better.
Patrick Batman
After his 2000 film American Psycho, Christian Bale moved on to star as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s films, but some viewers think he still had some of it in him. Letterboxd user sightaylor points out that the birthday party scene at Wayne Manor “is just bruce wayne channeling his inner patrick bateman”.
While Bruce Wayne as a whole is still far removed from his Patrick Bateman character, the scene in question asked for Bruce to get rid of his guests as quickly and efficiently as possible for their safety. Scaring them off by acting like a materialistic sociopath again did the trick.
Bruce Wayne The Comedian
Although more readily known for taking Batman more seriously than previous iterations, the Christopher Nolan films still have a lot of humor in them, and that extends to the character of Bruce. Letterboxd user patrickhwillems points out that “Bruce Wayne doesn’t get enough credit for being a funny guy!”
Bruce Wayne in the film not only has his fair share of humorous moments, but he’s arguably funnier than any previous live-action Bruce Wayne aside from Adam West. The multitude of Bruce’s one-liners in the film, such as the ones directed at Alfred, is a great example of this.
I Need A New Suit
Even though the Batsuit is meant to look imposing to both characters in the film and audiences, some viewers see through the facade. Letterboxd user diamondbolt points out that they can’t be the only one who thinks the Batsuit “looks a little silly” in the film.
Similar to the Tim Burton films’ suits, the Batsuit in the movie reduces Christian Bale’s movement so much so that he couldn’t turn his neck without also turning his entire body. However, the filmmakers also saw this as a potential oversight and subsequently changed the suit for the next 2 films.
Batman vs. Therapy
If moviegoing audiences questioned Bruce Wayne’s sanity in previous films despite not having a complete origin story, it’s safe to assume that Batman Begins took his origin to another level. Letterboxd user lmrru points out that therapy is great but that it’s “no match for running around the city doing parkour dressed up as a bat”.
Providing more depth to the how and why of Bruce Wayne’s transformation into the Dark Knight definitely improves the character development in the film, but it also ends up adding more questions for viewers. It’s understandable after showing the full extent of the pain and effort it took to become Batman to question why Bruce didn’t deal with his trauma in a more manageable way.
The Reboot Begins
After the misfires that were the Joel Schumacher Batman films, the franchise was famously placed into the hands of Christopher Nolan to try to reboot the story and image of the character. Letterboxd user cinemaclown puts this into familiar words when they say “Why did the Batman franchise fall? So that it could learn to pick itself up!”
Using an iconic line from the film to describe the success that was Nolan’s reboot was very smart and fitting. Batman Begins and the rest of the trilogy brought Batman back to relevancy and reignited the love for the character, while also pushing the boundaries of what a superhero film could be.
