Batman Begins
Last night, my hubbie, two teenage boys, and I watched Batman Begins. Today, the sermon in church was on fear. The pastor brought up a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do the thing you fear…and the death of fear is certain.”
Don’t you know that’s EXACTLY how Bruce Wayne came to make his decision to symbolize his acts of heroism with a bat. Batman Begins is a movie that explores the dual identities of Bruce Wayne. His mask, as childhood friend Rachel Dawes observes toward the end of the movie, is not the bat persona, but Bruce Wayne’s face. But how does he get there? How does he transform from billionaire playboy to a sort of vigilante and then to a true hero who is motivated by the idealism of good verses evil?
In a nutshell, he conquers his fear.
The backstory, the thing we never got from the previous cartoonish Batman movies, is crucial to Bruce’s character development and to us understanding who he is and why he becomes Batman. Batman Begins holds true to the idea of Batman being merely a man who maximizes technology to help him combat the guilt he feels over his parents’ death. The process forces him to face his fear of bats. These two fears are the root of his psychological baggage and conquering them is what sets him free.
Like any good story, Bruce goes on a journey of self-discovery. He meets a mentors [Ducar, who forces him to redefine his realationships, the iconic Alfred, and Rachel] who help him define his fears, identify his motivations, and ultimately force him to make life-altering choices.
Bruce learns to stop looking back at the past. He removed himself from his privileged, wealthy upbringing and exposed himself to the dregs of society. He purposefully chose anonymity in order to divest himself of his own preconceptions about his position in society. When he returns to Gotham, it is on his own terms. He’s resurrected as Batman and comes with new intentions, at first based on revenge, but evolving to uphold the idealism of his parents before him and to redeem the forsaken city of Gotham.
Batman Begins is a great movie that really explores the birth of a hero. I haven’t seen Dark Knight [and can’t wait, both to experience the continued development of Bruce Wayne and to witness the final, and from all reports very nuanced, performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker.
Question of the Day:
The typical summer blockbuster is far less psychologically developed that Batman Begins [and presumably Dark Knight]. Are we, the American movie-going public, finally demanding more depth in our heroes, or are these movies anomalies?
August 11th, 2008
Misa 
in
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August 11th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I haven’t seen the Dark Knight, but I understand it is the darkest of all the Batman movies. I do think its anomaly. I haven’t seen that many that show the actual soul of the knight, or hero. We’re so blasted with such techno show of special affects, the soul of the hero is shadowed, over looked or completely lost. I think this Batman series really captures some of the actual torment Bruce suffers because of what he has experienced, and the choices he’s made and how it drives his life. We need more heroes like that, where we can really see into the very depths of their being, to see what makes them tick.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I think we (the public) demand better movies, but I think Dark Knight is an anomaly, because you turn around and the theatre is flooded with Superbad and Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
***I think this Batman series really captures some of the actual torment Bruce suffers because of what he has experienced, and the choices he’s made and how it drives his life. We need more heroes like that, where we can really see into the very depths of their being, to see what makes them tick.***
Lee, this is beautifully said. We DO need more heroes like this, both on the silver screen, and on paper.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
It just doesn’t seem right to utter the movie titles Superbad and Don’t Mess with the Zohan in the same sentence with Dark Knight [or Batman Begins], does it? Darn, the answer I was hoping for was that the movies aren’t anomalies!
August 11th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I’m not crazy about dark movies. I loved Iron Man, and was surprised I enjoyed it so much. And Sex and the City. Again, I was surprised I enjoyed it so much. Of course, Mama Mia! Total fun. My husband gave it a C. (I saw Sex and the City with a friend.) The only other movie I saw this summer was the new Indiana Jones. So you can see what kind of books I like. A little on the fun side with a bit of seriousness.
My choice of reading is this way too. I’ll read books that are a little dark and a little serious, but if they’re too dark, it’s not for me, no matter how well written.
August 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I don’t like all dark movies, either, Edie. I haven’t seen Iron Man–just hasn’t sounded appealing to me–but with your recommendation, I probably will. My kids and husband loved it, but we don’t usually see eye to eye! I’m Sex and the City-less, too. But it’s coming to the discount theater, so maybe!
I’m with you on books, too. I do like serious books and/or timely topics, but if a book is too dark, it’s usually not for me.