Somehow, of all incredible crazy things, it was 20 years ago – June of 2005 – that the film “Batman Begins” came out. Time marches on – and on! I submit to you that this film is vastly, vastly underrated. For one thing, remember the historical context. Not too many years had passed since the train wreck of “Batman and Robin” (1997); a film where we were subjected to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze and his dozens of bad ice puns and George Clooney as Batman. However, from the beginning moments, we could see that “Batman Begins” was the start of a new, exciting film series. It showed us Bruce Wayne’s traumatic past – a subject that was barely touched in the movies at this point – and a compelling story of how he became the man who ultimately decided to become Gotham City’s protector.
I could go on and on praising
various aspects of this great film. I
could discuss in detail how wonderful it was to see Bruce’s father, Thomas
Wayne (played well by Linus Roache). His
love, devotion, and character was a highlight.
I could spend a considerable amount of time citing various quotable lines,
as well; for example, Thomas Wayne says to young Bruce, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.” The Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth (played
capably by Michael Caine), who had heard this exchange, actually quotes those
words to Bruce decades later, in a low moment.
Further, if I lingered on this movie, I would spend time talking about the
character of Rachel Dawes, Bruce’s childhood friend, and then love interest;
kudos to Katie Holmes, who I thought was very good in this role.
While I am attempting to fly
through this content today, I do want to slow down here and take a minute make
sure I give props to Christian Bale’s performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He absolutely knocks it out of the park. He nails Bruce in all his personas; from the
billionaire alter ego who, in one scene, feigns drunkenness, insults his guests
attending his party, and tells them to leave Wayne Manor. Unbeknownst to them, this act saved their
lives from the main villain of the film who intended on murdering them
all. Moreover, Bale captures the Caped Crusader
very well. For instance, his Batman
voice (often criticized in sequels) is, in my opinion, at its best here in this
film.
Furthermore, Christian Bale –
and all those involved in “Batman Begins”
– did a wonderful job of capturing a fundamental component of Bruce’s character,
something often ignored in other Batman incarnations: his objection to
killing. One of the great moments in the
film is Bruce’s final initiation test to join Ra’s al Ghul’s mysterious League
of Shadows. After weeks or months of
training with a man named Ducard, Bruce’s mentor of sorts – played brilliantly
by Liam Neeson – there was one last initiation: end the life of a captured man,
with a sword from Ducard. Bruce refuses
the sword, and states definitively, “I’m no executioner.” “Your compassion is a weakness your enemies
will not share,” Ducard replies. “That’s
why it’s so important. It separates us
from them.” Ultimately, this choice leads
to a harrowing encounter where Bruce nearly dies. This is a sobering example of how doing the
right thing doesn’t necessarily always lead to favorable results.
In conclusion, what is the
point of bringing all this up? I mean, I
love Batman in general, and “Batman
Begins” has a special place in my heart.
But so what? I submit to you, as
a Christian, I can relate to devoting your life to something bigger than self,
and yet in the process, finding the life you were intended to live all
along. Paul Asay in his wonderful book
on Batman “God on the streets of Gotham”
puts it this way:
“Batman isn’t something Bruce
Wayne does; Batman is who Bruce Wayne is…Sure,
it’s a tough life. It’s expensive and
dangerous, and it never leaves Bruce enough time for a proper vacation. But
that’s okay, because Batman isn’t something he does. It’s who he is. In submitting his own will to a higher
calling, he finds himself. It’s what he
was built for, in a way. And by
extension, so are we. We’re at our best
when we’re setting aside our own desires and serving others. When we forget
ourselves, we become ourselves – our
true selves, the people God designed us to be.”
Jesus said in Matthew 10 (NLT),
“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give your life for me,
you will find it.”
God bless,
Kevin
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