A grounded and mature take on the traditional Batman mythos

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2013)

I can still remember having the day off school to go and see this film when it was first released in cinemas when I was just eight years old with my dad. Assuming it was just another campy superhero flick he reluctantly took me to see it. After leaving the theater, he subsequently returned over the next few days to re-watch it multiple times. Looking back, this is affirmation that this movie is accessible to just about everyone, comic fan or not. This is mostly due to masterful directing, realistic dialogue, a brilliant story and some knock-out performances, namely Christian Bale, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy, who each perfectly embodied their characters. The tightly-woven, non-linear story helps make the protagonist, Bruce Wayne's, journey from disillusioned, billionaire playboy to crime fighting superhero far more engaging and enjoyable, as opposed to a regular, linear storyline. This strong story is aided by the dark, modern and gritty visuals of Christopher Nolan and the perfect delivery of lines by every member of the cast. Notably, Michael Caine served as an excellent comic relief, as well as a strong moral center for Bruce and was perfect in his role. While the latter half of the film began to feel a little redundant and too reliant on action effects instead of story, it still served as a decent conclusion to, in my opinion, one of the greatest films of all time.