Best Superhero Movie Ever?

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2006)

This film sucks you in right from the first sequence, with the swarm of flying bats nearly forming the Batman logo in the background. Right when you think the symbol will solidify and overwhelm the screen, followed by the inevitable opening titles, instead this tantalizing glimpse of what's to come just as quickly vanishes. It's moments like these that keep teasing us, tugging at our collective memories of the Caped Crusader until, at last, Batman finally reveals himself.
The execution in this movie is so well done; "Memento" director Christopher Nolan expertly paces everything. The introduction of Bruce Wayne as a child also first shows for us what will be a major theme in the film: fear, and overcoming it. As the critical moments of Bruce Wayne's childhood take place, a parallel storyline is told... or rather, two are. Present-day Bruce Wayne, deftly played by Christian Bale, battles his inner demons on the Himalayan peaks, under the tutelage of Liam Neeson's single-mindedly disciplined Henri Ducard. There, Wayne learns to kick ass from Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and his army of ninjas! At the same time, we also witness Bale's seven years younger Wayne, and how he came to flee Gotham, run by crime boss Carmine Falcone, whose savageness is understated by Tom Wilkinson with criminal precision. Those are three different timelines Nolan has chosen to deal with simultaneously, and yet, he somehow manages to pull it off without confusing the audience.
Weirder still, despite Wayne's bigger-than-life journey, it remains believable. His ascent from troubled youth to justice-seeking crime fighter is natural, and the stellar cast supports the foundation. Stellar doesn't even describe it! In addition to the others mentioned, Rutger Hauer has a small but juicy part as a greedy CEO running (and ruining) Wayne Enterprises; Cillian Murphy ("28 Days Later") is the hilariously slick weasel Jonathan Crane, and his creepy alter ego, Scarecrow; Gary Oldman is Lt. Gordon (not yet the police commissioner), a bewildered everyman managing to stay sharp and true in an unjust and insane world; Morgan Freeman, the suave genius really in charge of Wayne Enterprise's success; Michael Caine, playing Alfred the butler... yes, Michael Caine; and Katie Holmes, as Bruce's childhood friend and lifelong love, Rachel Dawes. (Due to the antics of Tom Cruise around the time this film was getting press, Holmes's acting was, I believe, unfairly overlooked.) I think she had a nicely developed character, who represented something clear and was useful to the story, as did every other actor. This is something that makes "Begins" stand out among all other Batman movies. The cartoon-like characters in Tim Burton's "Batman" (other than Michael Keaton's memorable portrayal of Wayne) kept that otherwise great movie from being truly perfect.
With Hans Zimmer's and James Newton's Howard's score, everything is tied together. In 1989, Danny Elfman created arguably one of the greatest, most instantly recognizable movie scores of all time. Here, that is not the case. And yet, the music does work perfectly. The fact that there's no clearly defined theme that stays with you actually serves the story. It all feels so putative, slowly building up as it rushes forward, as if on the verge of breaking into all out, epically orchestrated madness... but it never quite gets there. That is, not until it crescendos as the movie closes with our hero sweeping across the screen, and the first title is finally displayed... Batman Begins.
With the deeply involving storyline, the nuanced acting, the expert pacing, and appropriate score, the world of Batman is rejuvenated and made more believable and exciting than ever before. This is the best Batman movie made, hands down... and perhaps the best superhero movie of them all. Ten stars!