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Improving the Foundations: Batman Begins from Comics to Screen
The definitive, unauthorized study of Christopher Nolan's 2005 film, paying particular attention to how it draws upon comic-book source material. Darius examines the evolution of Batman's origins, as well as previous attempts to film that story. His scene-by-scene analysis, addressing changes from the script, themes, and comics correlations, expands the reader's understanding through crisp, insightful language. Also explores the film's realism in contrast to past Batman films, the film's reception, and its box office.
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2005
44 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Julian Darius
125 books115 followersA creative writer and comics scholar, Dr. Julian Darius holds degrees in English (Ph.D., M.A.) and French (M.A.).
Darius founded Martian Lit, for which he writes several acclaimed comics titles, including Martian Comics, Necropolitan, Kimot Ren, Forever Man, and The Synthetics. He's also published a novel, some short stories, and a screenplay.
In 1996, while still an undergraduate, Darius founded what would become Sequart Organization, an organization devoted to promoting comic books and pop culture as a legitimate art form. He wrote copiously for Sequart’s website, has authored books on comics, and has produced documentary films for the organization.
He co-hosts the Stories out of Time and Space podcast with Scott Weatherly. It covers science-fiction movies and TV shows.
He currently lives in Illinois.
Darius founded Martian Lit, for which he writes several acclaimed comics titles, including Martian Comics, Necropolitan, Kimot Ren, Forever Man, and The Synthetics. He's also published a novel, some short stories, and a screenplay.
In 1996, while still an undergraduate, Darius founded what would become Sequart Organization, an organization devoted to promoting comic books and pop culture as a legitimate art form. He wrote copiously for Sequart’s website, has authored books on comics, and has produced documentary films for the organization.
He co-hosts the Stories out of Time and Space podcast with Scott Weatherly. It covers science-fiction movies and TV shows.
He currently lives in Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 19, 2012
I am a huge fan of Batman and loved the movie Batman Begins so I knew right away that this book would be the right fit. I was very impressed by all the information that the author presented, and I was excited to learn all kinds of facts about the comics and the movie.
This book has a great introduction that explains Batman's origin. Then it goes into the analysis of the movie itself...scene by scene. As many times as I have watched the movie, I realized that I had missed a few things and now I want to watch it again.
The book is very detailed and well-researched, but I think some readers may feel a bit overwhelmed with all the information. However, this is not a flaw to me because I wanted to learn as much as I could about Batman and his story.
The book also has some great illustrations from the comic books and I really enjoyed looking at them.
I recommend this book to fans of the movie or comics. It was a fascinating read for me. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
This book has a great introduction that explains Batman's origin. Then it goes into the analysis of the movie itself...scene by scene. As many times as I have watched the movie, I realized that I had missed a few things and now I want to watch it again.
The book is very detailed and well-researched, but I think some readers may feel a bit overwhelmed with all the information. However, this is not a flaw to me because I wanted to learn as much as I could about Batman and his story.
The book also has some great illustrations from the comic books and I really enjoyed looking at them.
I recommend this book to fans of the movie or comics. It was a fascinating read for me. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you!
April 23, 2012
“improving the foundations: batman begins from comics to screen” by Julian Darius is an in-depth look at the movie Batman Begins and the beginnings of Batman in the comic form. Mr. Darius begins with the history of Batman in the comics (Detective Comics #27 May 1939) and shows the reader how Batman became to be and how his story evolved over the years. From there, the author then delves into the movie, Batman Begins, and breaks it down into acts and scenes. He begins each act/scene with a description of what is happening at that moment. For example:
Act 1, Scene 3 (Flashback Sequence 2), Part 1: Continuing directly from the previous flashback, Thomas Wayne pulls his son Bruce up from the well and takes him into Wayne Manor.
Mr. Darius then goes into detail about the history of that scene and its importance. He refers back to particular comics that help illustrate the scene. He will also go into the choice of actor for a role in the film and give some background on the person. What I really liked is that Mr. Darius also included illustrations from the actual comics throughout the book.
I’m not a big Batman fan, but I love the behind the scenes and history of things. This book did not disappoint. I really like the attention to even the smallest details. I enjoyed having each act/scene broken down and the significance of it explained. This book makes me want to go back and watch Batman Begins while holding the book in my hand and referring to it.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
Act 1, Scene 3 (Flashback Sequence 2), Part 1: Continuing directly from the previous flashback, Thomas Wayne pulls his son Bruce up from the well and takes him into Wayne Manor.
Mr. Darius then goes into detail about the history of that scene and its importance. He refers back to particular comics that help illustrate the scene. He will also go into the choice of actor for a role in the film and give some background on the person. What I really liked is that Mr. Darius also included illustrations from the actual comics throughout the book.
I’m not a big Batman fan, but I love the behind the scenes and history of things. This book did not disappoint. I really like the attention to even the smallest details. I enjoyed having each act/scene broken down and the significance of it explained. This book makes me want to go back and watch Batman Begins while holding the book in my hand and referring to it.
**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**
May 18, 2012
Over the past few years, the art of the reboot has come a long way. One of the most successful reboots, of course, has been Christopher Nolan's Batman films. What makes this book, Improving the Foundations, so helpful is that it methodically breaks down all the creative choices the filmmakers have made and relates them to the comics, looking at bits and pieces from the numerous retellings of Batman's origin over the past seventy years or so.
The book is sophisticated and smart in its observations, but it's written in a very clear headed and accessible way--no literary jargon or heavy quotes. Just a great, close reading of Batman's origins and the way they are adopted or tweaked in the movie.
Would that every quality film franchise had a companion piece like this one.
The book is sophisticated and smart in its observations, but it's written in a very clear headed and accessible way--no literary jargon or heavy quotes. Just a great, close reading of Batman's origins and the way they are adopted or tweaked in the movie.
Would that every quality film franchise had a companion piece like this one.
September 1, 2012
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway, and I am impressed with the research. Batman is one of my favorite superheroes, and I consider myself an expert on the topic. I'm a big enough fan that I managed to turn one of my college research projects into the history of Batman. With that in mind, know that I still learned plenty of new things about the comics and the movie "Batman Begins". If you have some time to spare for a well-researched book about a beloved comic character, then you may want to take a look at this one.
October 23, 2012
Darius has extensively researched the history of the Batman character through comics and analyzed Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, comparing the famous stories in which the director took his inspiration from and contrasting the differences. It's something I've wanted to do myself and now I don't have to. Darius did it for me. It's well worth the read, especially since Nolan recently finished his Batman trilogy. I'd love to see Julian take on The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises next.
July 15, 2014
**I received my copy through Goodreads First Reads.**
A thorough (and occasionally exhaustive) narrative of how the 2005 Christopher Nolan adaptation of Batman Begins matches up to comic canon. Author definitely has attention to minutiae, sometimes in a tedious. But if you're interested in a really in-depth film study, this is a good one for you.
A thorough (and occasionally exhaustive) narrative of how the 2005 Christopher Nolan adaptation of Batman Begins matches up to comic canon. Author definitely has attention to minutiae, sometimes in a tedious. But if you're interested in a really in-depth film study, this is a good one for you.
October 31, 2015
no tan profundo y no tan crítico --le gusta demasiado la película como para atreverse a retarla en cuestiones de, por ejemplo, estilo, y le perdona muchísimos huecos e inconsistencias-- pero sí ameno y, principalmente, prolijo en el rastreo de influencias del canon de batman en batman begins.
October 29, 2012
Well-researched, and a decent analysis of the film - though I beg to differ on some points, including the segmentation of the acts. Darius is much better at analysing comics than he is at films. The typos scattered across the book are rather annoying, though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews