The Chris Moeller Archives

The Caped Crusader

I did my civic duty Saturday evening and helped one of our most lucrative national industries in its pursuit of the omniscient 'bottom line.' I attended the soon-to-be defined 'summer blockbuster,' "Batman Begins," and on its opening weekend, no less, which means my vote will definitely count this time, and we may now commence anxiously awaiting the Batman sequel/prequel/re-imagining that will inevitably arrive in theaters in about three years.

I'll give this latest flick in the Batman series high praise for its juicy script. There's a lot of social commentary to chew on for liberal-minded viewers-- dialogue about the social responsibility of the rich, compassion for the poor and the criminal, the evils of prejudice and fear-mongering, even a shout-out in favor of gun control and the outlawing of automatic rifles and armor-piercing bullets. (Though I'm almost certain I was reading too much into the big finale during which the hero's pimped-out, gas-guzzling Bat-Hummer wipes out Gotham's remarkably efficient public transportation system.)

Super hero flicks are what they are, and "Batman Begins" commits the usual genre sins. It pounds you over the head with dramatic music until you're nearly incapable of feeling any emotion for yourself, and it fails miserably at any attempt at humor. Still, the performances are winning ones, particularly Christian Bale in the lead, about whom I guess it can be said that he does the appropriate amount of brooding. Adam West remains the greatest Batman in the canon, but Bale rises above the heroes of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumaker franchise, who were routinely overshadowed by their criminal opponents. In time, all that will remain of the previous trilogy in the public's consciousness will be Jack Nicholson's campy and brilliant send-up as the Joker.

Christopher Nolan directs here, and you may remember him from a slick little picture called "Memento." The special effects are in overkill mode, of course, and Nolan frequently tries to amp up the action by pulling in too close, but what's there is impressive, particularly the bats. You never question their presence on-screen, and they never appear too slick. (The special effects have been the major fault of the Spiderman franchise, I believe. It was thrilling to watch Toby Maguire discover his powers and scale his first wall, but the moment he started leaping from building to building, it became a video game.)

Of course, it's very disheartening to see yet another talented young actress begin her slow decline into Hollywood's painful black hole for women. The loss of Kirsten Dunst will always be the greatest tragedy, but you can now add Katie Holmes to the list of expressive, interesting young women that Hollywood has absolutely no idea what to do with. It nearly makes one weep to see these women forced into girlfriend roles as their only chance to get A-list studio employment. Alas, soon Kristen and Katie will be replaced by younger, equally-attractive, but probably less-talented starlets, and they'll be left to forever look back at their teenage roles as the meatiest of their careers.

Which leads me to my final point-- while we're exploring all the other demons and motivations of our beloved American superheroes, it's time to get them laid. I understand that these films are pitched at teenagers, but what better reason to explore the sexuality of our caped and webbed crusaders. "Batman Begins" would have been that much more interesting if they had scrapped the whole George Lucas-neutered Jedi-Bat-Training sequence in the Orient, and given us a real adolescent dysfunction or sexually-themed story around which to rally. It doesn't have to be a gender identity issue. That's only the most obvious choice because of the tights and metal codpieces, and the thematic issues already in play. Maybe it could be some kind of kinky sexual fetish or something. Anything. Dunst and Holmes are great talents, but those talents are going to waste. As concerned girlfriends, they need something more interesting to push against.

It's no secret that these superheroes are both prodigious and vulnerable. For once, let's see these traits manifest themselves under the sheets instead of through the prism of the criminal justice system. With "Batman Begins," we now know how much Bruce Wayne loved his Dad, but how about his Mom? She was shot on the street, too. Didn't she cast a long shadow over young Bruce's life or maybe impart some dying wisdom? There's bound to be a 'virgin/whore complex' in the man's psyche somewhere, if we only bother to look.

posted by CM @ 12:07 AM