What a gem!

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2005)

For all fans of Batman 1997 was a desperate and depressing year. Not only was it to be George Clooney donning the bat suit (a woeful choice of casting) but Batamn and Robin was to become one of the most universally hated films ever made. It was a crying shame really, as a fairly decent series (the Burton films were works of pure genius) came to cataclysmic end with such a diabolical piece of s**t.
Thank god, then, for Bataman Begins, which not only re-invents the tale of the dark night but gives the character the moody edge that the Schumacher instalments sorely lacked. Written by Blade scribe, David S. Goyer, this film puts a fresh new spin on things, showing us events leading up to the creation of the Dark Knight.
As the title suggests this is the beginning of the story. We start with Bruce Wayne as a young boy, playing hide and seek. after falling down a well he is confronted by a swarm of bats, that terrify him. We then cut forward 20 years or so to see him in a Korean prison where he is met by a man that calls himself Ducard. He takes Bruce under his wing and teaches him the ways of the Ninja. Once Bruce find out that this group (known as the league of shadows) plans to destroy Gotham, he takes them out. Desiding that he must return to him home town, he gathers all the equipment he can in order to become the fearless vigilante that we all know and love.
This film is essentially a two act film. the first half focuses more on the drama, on the desperation of Bruce Wayne. In fact we don't see him in the Batsuit until an hour in. But once he become the Dark Knight, the drama takes a sidestep for some breathtaking action sequences. There's a car chase around the streets of Gotham, a scene of mass pandemonium around Arkham Asylam and the end monorail set piece that is a non stop ride of hard pumping action.
This film is a fan boy's dream. It has non of the campy god awful one-liners that made Batman and Robin such a failure. This is a much darker Edgy film and works all the better for it. This could be the start of another beautiful franchise. With Marvel stealing the limelight in recent years, it's good to see that D.C. Comics is making a grand return. Lets just hope Superman Returns will b this good.
5/5