Batman Begins Analysis

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In the movie Batman Begins, by Christopher Nolan, the main character Bruce Wayne loses his way after witnessing his parent's death as a child and seeks revenge as an adult. Blinded by his grief and guilt, he mistakes revenge for justice. Bruce is then shown the right path and this changes him forever. During the scene of Bruce’s parent's death, the desire for revenge was shown through the use of low-key lighting, over the shoulder shots, facial expressions, and short cutting. These four techniques helped develop the character of Bruce Wayne and his desire for revenge when his parents were murdered and through this shows the influence his parents had on him. In the parents’ murder scene, Nolan uses low-key lighting and over the shoulder shots…show more content…
Society tends to stereotype revenge as a bad thing; therefore, by making the scene appear darker this shows the audience a sense of darkness which they can associate with the act of revenge. When the light darkened Bruce's face, it showed how dark he would have been feeling and the impact his parents had on him. By associating Bruce with the idea of evil, it shows the audience that Bruce may not be so innocent and his next actions may be harmful. Nolan uses low-key lighting and over the shoulders shots to show how Bruce responds to his parent's death with the horror and darkness which is seen on his face. Here, the director’s use of over the shoulder shots helped the audience see how much his parents meant to him by the emotion on his face and makes us wonder if their death will trigger Bruce wanting to get back at Joe Chill. This is because his parents being murdered showed a huge impact on the state of Bruce at that time due to his reaction to their death. By using these shots Nolan develops the idea of revenge on Bruce's face by putting us in his shoes and showing us his point of view. Low key lighting combined with over the shoulder shots are used to portray a…show more content…
During the scene of his parents’ murder, the use of facial expressions challenges the audience to consider what Bruce is feeling. The horror on his face when his parents were shot shows the feeling of revenge by the anger which took over Bruce's face. The facial expressions of Bruce, when Thomas Wayne was dying, show how much of an impact his father’s death would have on Bruce. These expressions reinforce the hate felt by Bruce both for himself and his parents. This triggers his feelings towards revenge for Joe Chill when Joe killed Bruce’s parents. Nolan uses facial expressions and short cutting to show how parental influence can direct us in our actions. Here, the director's use of short cutting develops the idea of revenge as we begin to see how important Bruce's parents were to him. Short cutting creates a sense of suspense and the shorter time between the shots sped up the whole scene creating a more anxious mood. This leaves the audience anticipating is about to happen and make it more intriguing for the audience to watch. These techniques portray the theme of how parental influence can make up who we are but we have the choice to decide what path we will take.

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