Finally

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2005)

Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale stated early on that their goal with "Batman Begins" was to make the world forget their had ever been a Batman movie made before this picture. This is both understandable and admirable, as I myself had been trying to accomplish this very task (on a much smaller scale) ever since "Batman Forever". What is tremendous about this film is that this task is successfully achieved with astounding results. The director-actor combination of Nolan and Bale does more than justice to the back-story of the super-hero who possesses no super powers; answering the question of how a billionaire playboy is able to morph his grief and anger over his parents murder into a force powerful enough to combat the crime filled streets of Gotham. The whos, whys and hows are all answered in a viable and powerful manner. Much praise must be given to Christian Bale for his complex and captivating performance of the conflicted Bruce Wayne; to Gary Oldman who never fails to amaze with his delicately nuanced characters and to Michael Caine who brings new life and sensitivity to Alfred. Furthermore, Christopher Nolan proves himself an exceptionally capable director, capturing the story presented with an equal balance of sensitivity, darkness, honesty and above all, believability. "Batman Begins" is just the remedy the bat-chronicles needed.