Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Batman Begins

I have just finished watching Batman Begins. OK, I know it has been out for a long time, but the last batman films were putting me off, they were just getting too comicy. This returns to what batman is about, dark exploration of the mind. Much more subtle.

Some of you may be laughing now. Comics are just for kids aren't they. And in some cases you are right. Superman, Spiderman etc. But some are much darker, contain a lot more. Batman is one of those, so is Grendel, Cerebus, even Usagi Yojimbo. These look at the depth of what drives us and can confront us. Don't be fooled by the fact they are called comics. I admit that towards the end Dave Sim starts loosing the plot with the Cerebus series, his hatred of women becomes too much and distorts the message he is trying to make, but the earlier analysis of religion and politics is enlightening.

Batman Begins finds that edge. No Arnie to get in the way, but a look at vengeance and the way fear can shape us. Not a happy ending but a real one.

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