Batman Begins

I was excited for the opportunity to analyze a favorite film of mine: Batman Begins. This newest line of Batman films comprised of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are unquestionably the best Batman films ever made; and unlike many superhero films, I believe, they are actually very well-done films. In addition to suburb writing and acting, the cinematography and visual design elements of this $150 million budgeted film are second to none.

The Batman Begins story recounts both familiar and new aspects of how Bruce Wayne becomes the legendary superhero. Interestingly, this screenplay was based on a compilation of several short stories and comics written by various authors. Director, Christopher Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of Batman by "doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before". According to Nolan, humanity and realism would be the basis of this film, and that "the world of Batman is that of grounded reality.” Clearly, Nolan sought to bring some credibility back to the Batman franchise after several previous Batman attempts fell sorely short.

The dark visual design of Batman Begins purposefully reflects the darkness and realism of the film’s plot; dealing with recession, poverty, crime, and corruption. Nolan used the 1982 cult science fiction film Blade Runner as a source of inspiration for Batman Begins. He screened Blade Runner to cinematographer Wally Pfister to show the attitude and style that he wanted to draw from the film. Additionally, Nolan worked with production designer Nathan Crowley to create the dark look of Gotham City. They designed Gotham as a large, modern metropolitan area that would reflect the various periods of architecture that the city had gone through. Elements were drawn from New York City, Chicago, and Tokyo. The “Narrows”, underneath the city, was based on the slummish nature of the city of Kowloon in Hong Kong.

Not surprisingly, Wally Pfister was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 78th Academy Awards. The dark visual design, realism, and top-notch thrilling visual effects created a Batman film that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and set the stage for The Dark Knight and hopefully future Batman films following in this same vein.