I Hope Batman can Finish What he "Begins"...

Well, we finally made it to Batman Begins, and loved it. We were all ready to go the first weekend, had the babysitter scheduled and all, and then I came down with a little touch of what I hope was food poisoning, because if it wasn't food poisoning it was demonic possession. I'll spare you the details.

So we saw it a few days ago, and even though the hype had already started to wane, we loved it. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool DC Comics fanboy, who would be wearing Batman Underoos right now if it were socially acceptable, so you would expect that I would like it. But my wife, Melissa, who generally "tolerates" my movies, loved it too.

I was honestly going in with high expectations from director Christopher Nolan--"Memento" was one of my favorite movies a few years back, and I've only heard positive things about this particular version of Batman. But I was also going in saddled with too much information about Batman's history, his career, the supporting characters, and there are too many ways this movie could have gone wrong. Add to that an appreciation of Tim Burton's two Batman flicks, and there was the potential for disappointment.

I wasn't. At all. And I was happily surprised several times through the movie.

This movie is intended to "reboot" Warner Bros' flagging Batman franchise, retelling Batman's origins and making a clean break with the 1989-1997 series of movies. An all-new impressive cast, coupled with a director and a writer who haven't handled this kind of material before--this was either hit or miss. The story of how Batman emerged from troubled orphan billionaire Bruce Wayne's psyche to fit crime in a horrifying metropolis...the story we've all known piecemeal before, is finally on the big screen.

One concern I had is that I wouldn't want to see a movie where Batman doesn't even appear for the first hour of the film...or that the two villains featured in "Batman Begins," Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul, aren't well-known enough to mass audiences to pull them in. I was wrong on both counts.

Christian Bale does a brilliant job as both Bruce Wayne and Batman--when he first does his Batman Voice, I shuddered--a bit too over the top for me--but it grew on me, so now that's Batman for me. The thing is, you see that Bruce Wayne IS Batman--Batman's not a costume, the Bruce Wayne playboy persona is. And you wouldn't see that if you hadn't seen that first hour of the movie.

The way they adapted the two classic Batman villains Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow for the big screen may be controversial in geek circles, but I loved them both. In this particular Gotham, I don't think a fully costumed, straw-stuffed Scarecrow ala "Challenge of the SuperFriends" would have worked, or been as effective as Cillian Murphy's sadistic psychiatrist. Still faithful to the comic books, and giving us glimpses of the madness that may be yet coming from the halls of Arkham Asylum. Playing with the legendary Ra's Al Ghul, using the League of Shadows to attack Gotham was equally effective, and the way Ra's is finally revealed was a great surprise and joy even to me.

My favorite part of the movie wasn't necessarily Batman, or Scarecrow, or Ra's Al Ghul--it was in the supporting characters. There are three characters that have been a key part of Batman and Bruce Wayne's lives for decades, and it's taken until 2005 for them to get their due on the big screen.

Commissioner Gordon: he's been a throwaway, bit player in previous Batman outings, and here, early in his career as Sergeant Gordon, we see the seeds of his relationship with Batman. Played low-key by Gary Oldman, he's the one good cop in Gotham, and that heroism amidst corruption may make him even more of a hero than Batman is. I'm hoping we see his character grow over the next few films.

Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne's butler, he's too often played as either foppish or as resisting Wayne's "night job"...here Michael Caine plays Alfred as he's meant to be...not a feeble old man, but as someone who's "in on it"...a worthy ally to Batman. He's also a hero in the Wayne household, and I was surprised at how much I loved him here.

Lucius Fox: Morgan Freeman's made a career of playing wily wise men, and he does the same here. In the comic books and the Animated Series, Lucius was always the one really running Wayne Enterprises, and his brains and heart have always stood out to me over the years. It was great to see Lucius on the big screen, and Morgan Freeman was pitch-perfect for the part.

So beyond all that, how was the rest of the movie? Well--I loved it. Can't think of anything that would prevent me from continuing to love it. While Gotham City wasn't quite as "gothic" and visual as Tim Burton's Gotham, it was still imaginative, but with a realism that the last four Batman movies have lacked. A friend of mine said about the visuals, "I can't think of any special effects that LOOKED like they were special effects"...and I agree. Although there were some amazing things happening, the city and the things happening in it looked real--like they could really happen. For the first time in a long time, Batman seems like he really is just a (incredibly buff and wealthy) guy in a suit--he doesn't need to be CGI or have superpowers to do the amazing things he does.

The storyline was complicated and beautiful--we finally understand that the threats to Gotham City don't just come from the cartoony costumed criminals, but from everyday criminals, mob bosses, and corporate greed. The very things that plague our cities today. Gotham City NEEDS Batman, just like many of our cities could use someone like him--people who care about each other and are willing to take a stand in the name of justice. Vote, even.

"Batman Begins" is relaunching the franchise, and does very well at that. I'm hoping the same team of director, writer, and actors can continue for at least two more films--I've heard rumors that the next film would feature the Joker as a villain, and after that a film with Two-Face...which would be fantastic. If they can continue making films of this quality, I'll follow them anywhere. Will we see Robin? Will District Attorney Harvey Dent take his place in the next film as the third part of the triad alongside Batman and Jim Gordon? Will Bruce Wayne ever have a healthy relationship?

I want to know. And I'll keep watching. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.