Batman Film Analysis

From comic book pages to the big screen, creating a film adaptation of a beloved graphic novel series can be a challenging task. Talented writers and directors must work to devise a faithful adaptation without turning the audience’s attention away, as most loyal readers of a series can have high expectations. Whether a composition is praised or criticized, the greatest wish for a film that carries such immense weight with its audience is for it to succeed. One adaptation that has successfully captured viewers is Batman Begins, a superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. Cowritten and directed by Christopher Nolan, the film reboots the series with an origin story laced with action and dark realism. The film premiered

in 2005, having been nominated for three BAFTA awards and winning honors for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor, and Best Writing by the Academy of Science-Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Batman Begins commits the brand to the genre of dark realism, distinguishing itself from previous incarnations through its influence from classic comic book storylines, set design, and more serious style. Nolan draws inspiration from past works aiding in shaping his piece to the award winning film it is recognized as today.
To begin with, the stylistic theme of Batman Begins draws inspiration from the unique genre of dark realism.

Those who use dark realism tend to focus on tenebrous and often macabre subjects, injecting works with themes of death, madness, and torture. The genre envelopes itself with the idea of dystopian places and amoral beings, some that can be particularly violent or realistic. Nolan’s film captures the design perfectly, taking from comic book settings with its somber colors and the darker parts of Gotham City. To illustrate, in Frank Miller’s graphic novel, Batman: Year One, the city is painted with grays and browns. Throughout the comic, it is often depicted as crowded and murky, such as its opening page revealing Gotham’s train system and character James Gordon’s disdain. With a fatigued expression, Gordon thinks to himself how the “train’s no way to come to Gotham,” stating anyone would be a fool for “thinking it’s civilized” (2). With this, his derision for Gotham City is brought to life, shaping the reader’s expectation for the setting and its residents. The film mirrors the dystopian location, mimicking the style with grayish palettes and rainy streets, sounds of wailing sirens and bellowing sewers. Gotham city is not a beautiful, perfect society, but a broken one that the main hero believes can be saved. Even so, quite often Gotham is riddled with criminals, as shown in the comics and film adaptations. As dark realism depicts, violence is an existing feature that

appears often. In Batman Begins, main character Bruce returns to the city with intent on fighting crime, making his first excursion by intercepting a drug shipment that shakes a crime lord’s plan. Brandishing his iconic costume and under the cloak of night, he dispatches the thugs one by one, using a flurry of gadgets and honed fighting style. This can be reflected in Miller’s comic, as Bruce traverses into Gotham's more perverse end. He encounters a prostitute and her pimp, provoking a fight between the young woman’s boss and himself. As they break into a scuffle, Bruce disarms his adversaries, mocking his own idea of “[putting] the fear of God into them” as he takes down the surrounding attackers (11-13). Super hero comics and movies are known for action sequences, as the main vigilante takes it upon himself to fight the odds; however, Batman Begins caters beyond with its somber style that branches itself into dark realism that has helped the film stand against previous incarnations.
Moreover, by committing to this theme, Batman Begins distinguishes itself from past works such as the 1960s live action television series or Tim Burton’s film series.

Compared to Nolan’s work, these previous versions can be described as colorful and campy. Writer and academic professor, Will Brooker, expresses in his study, Batman: One Life, Many Faces, that these variations only aid the more recent adaptations. Because of their frivolous nature, Brooker states with “cinema’s [various] attempts to portray the Batman on screen, none of the films can be called an ‘adaptation’ of the comic book”. He goes on to say, “[the films] must be regarded as free interpretations built around a basic framework... [regarding] visual style, characterization and theme to their surrounding” (186). As mentioned, compared to Nolan’s films these previous versions fall into a different genre for their vibrant style and comedic dialogue. Unlike these past versions, Nolan embraces the comic series’ true sense, one that readers tend to prefer. Brooker continues to express his “preference for comics tending to the Frank Miller style,” mentioning how films like Batman and Batman Returns are quite the contrary. He claims the movies are “Tim Burton films before they are adaptations of any comic,” suggesting they rather “[adapt] a mood... than a specific comic” (192). Brooker also mentions this when discussing the 1960s TV series, having it described as “at best a misguided interpretation and at worst a

betrayal of the character” (189). Nolan’s film offers realistic situations and dark humor, especially in contrast to scenes such as 1960s Batman’s attempt to rid of a cartoonish, rotund bomb or Batman & Robin’s scene of the villain Mr. Freeze forcing his thugs to sing a song from The Year Without a Santa Claus. By breaking from the colorful and campy style produced by past incarnations, Batman Begins is able to distinguish its style and stand out on its own.
Furthermore, Nolan is able to craft such a notable version due to influences traced from multiple Batman works. Nolan’s film draws pieces from various comic book storylines, yet alters plots and scenarios to make it his own. In Hunting the Dark Knight: Twenty-first Century Batman, Brooker states “Batman Begins is not, in itself, a rearticulation of any single comic,” suggesting that it “recycles from a wealth of existing material and invents new scenes and characters of its own” (50). He affirms that Nolan’s film is heavily inspired by elements from Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, and “The Man Who Falls”. With this, Brooker goes on to say there is an importance to a producer’s choice to stay faithful to a series, especially when “film producers know that comic fans have a voice and a power,” which is why he believes Batman Begins is so favored by audiences (56). With this in mind, one of the comics that Nolan’s film heavily draws upon is from Miller’s Batman: Year One. For example, in the comic, as Batman attempts to escape a building surrounded by Gotham’s authorities, he initiates a device under his boot that attracts a colony of bats. The creatures swarm the area, cloaking the hero and distracting his attackers (58, 62-64). A similar sequence is seen in the film, as Batman uses the device to escape the police into his vehicle, leading to a destructive chase through Gotham. Adopting from these storylines, Nolan pays respect to the original content, altering it enough to remain his own unique version. Brooker states that the director “wanted the movie to be ‘the cinematic equivalent of reading a great graphic novel’,” expressing through “[Nolan’s] diligent research and... his respect for the source material” is what allows the film to find ground as an esteemed adaptation (57). By staying faithful to the classic comic book storylines, Batman Begins successfully contributes to the franchise’s brand.
All in all, Nolan’s Batman Begins crafts an adaptation that follows the a beloved graphic novel series faithfully, while remaining creative and unique in his direction. The film successfully commits the brand to the genre of dark realism, distinguishing itself from previous incarnations through its influence from classic comic book storylines, set design, and more serious style. Catering to both avid readers and the mainstream audience, both praise this version as one of the best adaptations of the franchise, with the awards to prove it.