Batman Begins (10/18/2005)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements

Directed by Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, Memento)

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe and Tom Wilkonson

Holy surpassing sequels Batman!

Let’s be honest . . it’s been YEARS since we’ve had a good Batman film. (Yes, that especially includes “Catwoman!” “Holy trampy heroes Batman!”) The wait is over. Get ready for a creative and original Batman film that stands apart from the other sequels and spinoffs.

Batman Begins grabs your interest from the very start with its creative pacing and distinctive storytelling style. (It was no surprise that this was directed by Momento’s Christopher Nolan—Momento broke new ground with its unique storytelling order.) The story begins bouncing back and forth amid four different time periods between past and distant past. We are introduced to the 8-year-old Bruce Wayne, the college aged Bruce, the runaway Bruce, then the “prodigal returns” Bruce. Nolan beautifully carries the audience on a journey between these time periods, never confusing us.

The film retells the story of how young Bruce was orphaned. It doesn’t try to keep its continuity with the original Tim Burton Batman (with Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson). Batman Begins tells its own story—a more convincing one at that.

Batman Begins also introduces a brand new element into the Batman story—one that explains his fighting skills and ability to disappear into the night. When Bruce runs away from his past, he finds himself across the world in Asia becoming part of an age old secret organization—the “League of Shadows”—that rids the world of corruption and decadence. He devotes months with this “League” where Ra’s Al Ghul (The Last Sumarai’s Ken Watanabe) and Ducard (Liam Neesan) train him to be a warrior for justice.

Subsequently, after changing pace several times with each film within a film, the story settles in the present to a Bruce Wayne ready to fight injustice. . . but unclear of his methodology. So we get to journey with him and see the development of everything from his costume, to his gadgets, the batcave . . . even his car.

All the while the plot thickens and Gothom City’s need for a hero comes to its peek. And it’s up to Batman to save the day.

Batman Begins delivered on so many different levels. Not only was the storytelling unique, the characters were well written and the performances were powerful. I couldn’t believe how many Oscar winners kept popping up as characters with 15 minutes of screen time. Even the quiet “Gordon” character was played by Gary Oldman. You’ll hardly recognize him. (Of course he never is the same in any role he plays.)

I also love the fact that this film doesn’t insult our intelligence. Batman Begins has a very realistic element with its hero. He isn’t able to leap tall buildings or outrun locomotives. There’s an explanation for everything he does. His gadgets, his strength, his skill and his training help him become the Batman that you see. He’s not flawless, but he doesn’t play “second chair” to the villains either, like in earlier versions.

Discussion Jump-starters:
Here are a few tidbits from the film that might provoke good discussion with kids who watch it.

“Tell us Mr. Wayne, what do you fear?”

Batman Begins deals with the fears and struggles that we hold inside?

Ducard: You traveled the world… Now you must journey inwards… to what you really fear… it's inside you… there is no turning back. Your parents' death was not your fault. Your training is nothing. The will is everything.

TO DISCUSS:

• What are some of the fears and struggles that we hold inside?


• Is there something that we are blaming ourself for . . . something in our past that we struggle to leave behind?

Bruce wants justice. His care for people and his sense of morality set him apart. But he struggles to find the difference between justice and revenge.

Bruce Wayne: They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I've looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge . . . (pause) . . . me!

TO DISCUSS:

• Is revenge the answer?


• Does revenge deliver us from our own torture chamber of bitterness?


• What if we were to forgive instead . . . then how would we feel?

But Batman Begins is also about endurance, not giving up . . . picking ourselves up when we’ve stumbled. In the beginning of the film young Bruce falls and hurts himself. His father carries him to safety and asks him, “Do you know why we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

Later in the film Bruce Wayne is facing obstacle after obstacle and feels like giving up. Alfred reminds him. “Why do we fall, sir? So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up.”

TO DISCUSS:

• Have you ever felt like giving up?


• What gives you the strength to carry on?


• How do tough times help us learn to pick ourselves up better?

And Batman Begins also talks about how our actions define us. In the fight for justice, Wayne appears to his friend Rachel that he isn’t doing anything. He tries to explain that down deep- he really wants to do something. She explains to him that it’s not who you are down deep, “it’s what you do that defines you.”

TO DISCUSS:

• What defines you, your actions, or who you are inside?


• Do our actions give others a glimpse at our inside?


• What do others see when they look at your actions?


• What does that tell them about who we really are?


• Is there an action that we do that we might need to change?

Should Kids See It?
Batman Begins has little objectionable content in it. Profanity consists of hell, damn, crap and ass. It uses God’s name in vain 3 times.

The movie has almost zero sexuality. I say “almost” because there’s one scene where it implies that two risqué girls jumped naked into a fountain in a restaurant. But it’s off-screen, and you only see two girls in towels after the fact. Most kids won’t even realize what happened.

Batman Begins might be a little intense, and perhaps scary at times for young children. But not even close to as scary as The Lord of the Rings films if you have let your children watch them.

I will let my 7, 9 and 12 year old watch this film with no hesitation.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

1. What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
2. How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
3. How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?