Welcome to Batman Week! Until July 18th, I'm celebrating all things Batman! You're reading the fifth and final chapter of mymy five part retrospective on the caped crusader in cinema. If you haven't read chapters one thru four, please go back and do so.

Batman and Robin was an awful abomination of cinema, and thankfully, it tanked at the box office. It taught the studio that they couldn't just screw around with beloved characters as they pleased, and plans were put in motion to bring Batman back to the screen in a film that really lived up to the character.

Holy Franchise Batman! The Blockbuster Saga of the Dark Knight

Chapter Five:
Holy Superlatives Batman! This Movie Rocks!

But that process was long and arduous, and it would take 8 years (as well as numerous cancelled projects) for that film to hit screens. As horrific as it might sound, the studio actually commissioned a sequel to Batman and Robin before the film hit theaters. Titled Batman Triumphant, the film would have featured the Scarecrow as the main villain. Little is known about the project beyond this, except that, through use of the fear-gas Scarecrow is known for, Batman would have entered a hallucination in which he would have seen the Joker again (Interestingly, this would be the first Schumacher film to make any connection to Burton's work). George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, and Joel Schumacher were contracted to return. And, continuing the tradition from the prior film of ruining classic characters, Harley Quinn would have been the Joker's daughter (instead of girlfriend), out for revenge.

Thank God that never happened.

After Batman and Robin's failure, Warner closed the book on the series and sent Schumacher and his cast packing. In 1998, another Batman project was pitched to the studio by Lee Shapiro and Stephen Wise. The project, titled Batman: DarKnight, (what an awful play on words) would have used the Scarecrow and Man-Bat as villains. Much more is known about this project, and Wikipedia even has a plot synopsis.

"Bruce Wayne is in self-imposed seclusion from life, because he feels he has lost his greatest weapons in the fight against crime: his mystique and his enemies' fear. Dick Grayson attends Gotham University, trying to discover who he is apart from his guardian and unwilling to return as Robin without him. Meanwhile, Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as resident psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his experiments in fear. During a vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom, Crane unknowingly initiates Kirk's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat. The unsuspecting denizens of Gotham scream for Batman's head, believing the Man-Bat's nightly hunts to be the Dark Knight's bloodthirsty return to action. Bruce dons cape and cowl once more to clear his name and solve the mystery behind these attacks. Eventually, Dick ends up in Arkham Asylum under Crane's unsympathetic watch, and Kirk struggles with his "man vs. monster" syndrome as he longs to both reunite with his wife and get revenge on Crane."

That could have been interesting, and was certainly a step in the right direction. But the film stayed in development hell until 2000, when it was officially cancelled in favor of the Batman: Year One film. Also cancelled in favor of Year One was a film version of the popular Batman Beyond cartoon. A script was written by Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Neal Stephenson, and Boaz Yakin; Beyond is considered a landmark achievement in the animated Batman canon, and with all the writers present from the cartoon series, it would have been great.

But Warner was far more interested in Batman: Year One, a comic-book masterpiece from Frank Miller, who also wrote the widely praised The Dark Knight Returns. The story tells the early days of Bruce as Batman, and how his relationship formed with James Gordon. Darren Aronofsky (who later directed Requiem For A Dream) was hired to direct, and co-wrote a script with Frank Miller. Warner ultimately cancelled the project; the film would have been rated R, and they weren't comfortable with that.

While the project never materialized, it certainly paved the way for the project that ultimately did get made. Aronofsky was a celebrated independent filmmaker, showing signs that Warner Bros. wanted the next Batman film to have a strong level of quality and dignity. Hiring Frank Miller to write showed that Warner wanted to please fans. They wanted to do it right this time, and their next move was the best one they could make.

In January 2003, impressed by his work on the hugely acclaimed film Memento, Warner hired Christopher Nolan to direct the next Batman film. Nolan brought on writer David S. Goyer to write the script (in interviews, Goyer stated that his dream since childhood was to write a Batman film). Right off the bat, Nolan was clear in his intention to completely reboot the franchise with the first cinematic origin story of Batman. Nolan and Goyer both understood why Batman was so successful in the comics; he offered comic fans something other than a good guy beating up a bad guy. Batman is a tortured hero, and to get people to care for the character, you have to get them inside his head. They recognized that the previous films favored style over substance, and they wanted to make the film a firmly character driven drama.

It had taken 74 years, but finally, a filmmaker understood Batman.

The film that Nolan and Goyer made was, of course, 2005's Batman Begins, which is undoubtedly the definitive screen adaptation of the Dark Knight so far and by far. Batman Begins is the rare film that I can watch over and over and enjoy more with each subsequent viewing.

It succeeds because it puts Batman into the real world and makes you feel like he really could exist. With other films, Batman always felt a bit ridiculous; after all, why would an insanely rich man dress like a bat to fight crime? Nolan answers this and many more questions. Begins is not as much an action film as it is a character study. The first hour of the film tells the story of how Bruce lost his parents, left Gotham, what he did during that time, and his subsequent return. In classic Christopher Nolan fashion, this story is told out of order, linked together by Batman's training under Ra's Ah Guhl. Every minute of this is pure gold; it's a feast for the mind, and delves into its character like few films ever do.

Of course, none of this would have worked without a strong performance from the lead. As Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale is just unbelievable. The film opens with a short clip of Bruce falling down a well and seeing bats; it then cuts to him, as an adult, lying in a prison cell. The look on Bale's face tells you volumes about the character, and this is his first shot in the film. Throughout, Bale's body language and dialogue delivery pull you into Bruce's world with such force, you start thinking like Bruce Wayne would. Not only do you understand Bruce's demons, you begin to feel them too. Bale can be tragic, funny, or downright bad-ass. I honestly believe he deserved an Oscar nomination. He's that good.

Once Bruce returns to Gotham, the film continues to be immensely interesting, on a philosophical level and on an action-film level. Nolan makes the film work because it is so realistic; there's an explanation for everything. In this version, Bruce gets all his equipment from inventor Lucius Fox, who provides a plausible explanation for how everything works. The plot has a lot going on, but never becomes convoluted, and focus never strays from the saga of Bruce Wayne. But the realism factor is the most important part; never, throughout the 2 hour 20 minute run time, did I raise an eyebrow. Unlike most summer blockbusters, it doesn't demand that you suspend disbelief. Instead, it asks you to put your disbelief out there in the open, and then shatters it.

The supporting cast is as important an element as any. Michael Caine plays butler Alfred, who is treated as a three-dimensional character more than he is in other incarnations. He is Bruce's father figure, someone who helps him when he's in need. Alfred is one of Bruce's only links to humanity, the person who keeps him from succumbing entirely to his Batman persona. Caine is excellent in the role, and is one of the many highlights of the film.

Morgan Freeman gives an inspired performance as Lucius Fox. Cillian Murphey, who has quietly turned in a number of excellent performances this decade, makes the Scarecrow a ridiculously creepy villain, with or without the mask. Tom Wilkinson, who makes every movie he's in better, has a small but brilliant role as Carmine Falconi. Gary Oldman simply inhabits the role of James Gordon, and is the first actor to really breath life into the very important role. Liam Neeson as Ra's Ah Guhl is inspired casting; he's wise and deadly.

Batman Begins has almost no weak spots, but one glaring black eye on the project is the mis-casting of Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes. Rachel isn't a comics character, but she's important to the story of the film; she's Bruce's only friend from before his parents were born, and many of the film's most important lines rest on her shoulders. Sadly, Katie Holmes can't act. Some of the script's best lines become trash when delivered by her. It doesn't ruin the movie though; in the grand scheme of things, it's a very small complaint.

The moviesucceeds as an action film as well as a drama. There are some truly inspired action sequences, the best of which being a car-chase involving the Tumbler. While the last act is terrific, with great action and story, it almost feels weak compared to the first half. It speaks volumes that watching the strong characters converse is more exciting than the action. That's not a mark against the action; it's a compliment to how strong the characters are.

One of the film's best elements is the musical score, written by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Separately, they are two of Hollywood's best composers. Together, they create a totally unique sound, and the definitive musical interpretation of Batman. While Elfman's score was loud and bombastic (but no doubt excellent), Zimmer and Howard have composed something much more subtle. There's no main theme for Batman; the composers say he's too complex a character to have a main theme. The motifs that recur throughout are beautiful, but subtle, and give you great insight into Bruce's mind. I own the soundtrack album, and I would highly recommend purchasing it. Split into twelve tracks, the score sounds like a symphony in twelve movements. It's a huge musical accomplishment, and a large treat for listeners.

Batman Begins is a remarkable achievement. It takes Batman and makes him real. This, in my opinion, is the only way a Batman film can work. You need a great director with extraordinary vision, some Oscar-caliber actors, and a great script to make a good Batman film. Begins is the first film that truly understands the character. In 1978, Superman: The Movie made us believe a man could fly. In 2005, Batman Begins did something even more incredibly. It made us believe a man would dress up like a bat to fight crime.

Batman Begins gets an A-. It's the definitive screen version of Batman.

Or is it? On July 18 th, Nolan's follow up, The Dark Knight hits theaters. Early reviews are calling it nothing short of a masterpiece, and the trailers are to die for. I've been excited for a lot of movies this year, but I'm dying with anticipation for this one. I think we can expect nothing less but the best Batman film ever made. With everyone from Begins on board (except for Katie Holmes, who was mercifully re-cast), and the addition of Heath Ledger in his final (and what looks to his best) performance as the Joker, this will be the cinematic event of the year.

The road leading to The Dark Knight has been long, with many twists and turns and ups and downs. There have been good movies and bad movies, all with their own unique interpretation of Batman. While I enjoy takes on the character more akin to Batman Begins, it's always fun to revisit films like Burton's Batman or the comic-book styled Batman Forever. We'll never run short on alternate incarnations of the caped crusader. No comic book character has ever inspired so many variations; there are comics, TV shows, and movies, all with their own unique vision.