Batman film takes the cape

To comic-book buffs, there is something special about that first issue, the one that explains the origins of their superhero of choice. They can usually tell you when it came out, who the artist was and how much it cost.

In the canon of recent Batman films, Batman Begins is essentially issue No. 1. It recounts the beginnings of the Batman mythos (I promise that’s the last time I’ll use that word for a while) as we follow Bruce Wayne from his early days at Wayne Manor to his eventual emergence as Batman, the scourge of Gotham’s underground.

As a child, Bruce Wayne (played by young Gus Lewis) witnesses the cold-blooded murder of his parents. Raised by his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine), Bruce has grown into a fine young man (Christian Bale) with a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Everest. With Gotham becoming a cesspool of crime and debauchery, Bruce goes away to learn about the darker side of human nature. Under the tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), he learns martial arts and the finer points of fighting evil. Bruce and his mentors part ways when he realizes they are nothing more than ruthless vigilantes. With nowhere else to go, Bruce returns to Gotham, and soon realizes it has deteriorated even more in his absence. With the help of Alfred and a trusted employee of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Bruce starts creating his crime-fighting alter ego Batman. This comes none too soon as the forces of evil have something very special and very sinister planned for Gotham.

The inevitable comparisons are going to come so I’ll head them off at the pass. The first two Batman movies by Tim Burton (you can forget what came after) are heavily drenched in atmosphere and not bad in their way. But this is a much better movie overall. Director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) has fashioned a gritty, engaging film that presents the Batman beginnings with the right balance of humanity and scope.

Bale is perfectly cast as Batman with the right look and demeanor of a blueblood (something many said original "Batman" Michael Keaton lacked), yet is physically intimidating enough when he dons his Batsuit. Caine gives another great performance as Alfred and even Gary Oldman is believable decent as Batman’s first and most important ally, the future Commissioner Gordon.

Batman Begins joins both Spider-Man movies as a fine and all-too-rare example of a comic-book adaptation done right.

Batman Begins
PG-13
Playing at area theaters
Three and a half out of four

Recommended Rental

Bewitched – The Complete First Season
Colorized or in black and white
Not Rated
Available Tuesday

Timed with next week’s release of the big-screen adaptation of the 1960s’ fave Bewitched, the DVD boxed set of the TV’s show’s first season hits stores. Although some might be tempted to dismiss the series as a campy relic of a more innocent time, it still holds up pretty well. Elizabeth Montgomery played Samantha Stephens, the wife of successful adman Darrin Stephens. Samantha just happens to be a witch and, although her powers have been known to help Darrin (Dick York, the first of two Darrins), they usually get him into all sorts of mischief. The excellent ensemble cast includes Paul Lynde, four-time Oscar nominee Agnes Moorehead and many others.