Alright! Today I'm reviewing the 2005 Batman flick, Batman Begins. Helmed by Christopher Nolan (My favorite director of all time), this is the quintessential origin of Batman. Half perfect adaptation of Year One, half perfect introduction to Batman, and half highly entertaining cinema, this hits the perfect blend of saving Gotham's soul and a personal thirst for vengeance.
Digression, but WB seriously changed the route for their Batman movies after Batman Returns turned out too dark and violent and opted for more light-hearted and vibrant toy commercials. But after that failed they once again took a left turn and went for darker Darren Aronofsky-type projects that led to The Dark Knight Trilogy, which is widely credited as bringing a darker and more realistic tone to the entire blockbuster genre just as Batman Returns did. They dove right back into what they opted out of! Ironic!
Anyways. Batman Begins is the perfect reintroduction to Batman. For as much flak as the numerous depiction of the Wayne murders get, an origin story for Batman had never really been done on film before. Batman '89 starts out with a fully-fledged lunatic in a bat costume with no explanation on how he got there, so Batman Begins not only was able to reinvent cinema's favorite superhero but also reinvent the entire backstory for the modern audience.
And man, this is peak Batman. I can't see it happening any other way. Bringing in a relatively obscure group like the League of Shadows to train Batman is genius. And the training montages in the movie are absolutely spectacular, all underscored by the always game Hans Zimmer.
I love the aesthetic this Batman has. This is the bare-bones type of thing. As cliché as "Your father set it up for the military" has become in Batman lore, every time we get to see the Tumbler or Batsuit or the Batwings it's fascinating. This is probably the best Batsuit in TDK Trilogy, the flowing cape and cowl accentuate his face well. Probably his best voice as well.
I love the new interpretation of Batman for this. Christian Bale creates an amazing take on the character. His heart and nobility are probably the purest out of any Batman we've ever seen. Actually, the entire cast sets the standard for the characters they play. Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon is absolutely perfect, no one else can play Lucius Fox, and Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul has a calm and cool presence that encapsulates the character.
I also love the characterization of Batman in this movie. While his no-kill rule has questionable logic in this movie (Although "I don't have to kill you, but I don't have to save you either" is a very cool line), this is the closest to the "true" drive of Batman. While in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Trilogy being Batman seems like a means to an ends that he wants to retire from, Batman Begins has the drive and motivation to avenge his parents and save the soul of his city.
I also love how this is basically a Year One movie. Take out the comic's suicidal Jim Gordon and gloomy and gritty atmosphere and throw in a big-name Batman villain and it's basically Batman Begins. Plus the ever underutilized Scarecrow, who continually steals every scene he is in but never makes it as the big bad.
Batman Begins is a great movie. Outside of being an amazing introduction to Batman, it stands on its own as an action movie, character-driven drama, and even contains flavors of romantic melodrama, all beautifully scored by Hans Zimmer. This is the quintessential Batman origin, bound to satisfy any Bat fan.
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