Simply a great new, dark Batman

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2011)

So, finally another Batman movie, 8 years after "Batman & Robin" was released. While I liked the old 90s-Batman movies, it was clear that the comicy, humorous Batman shown back then was nothing suited for the new millennium. Luckily for us, Christopher Nolan seems to have known that as well.
"Batman Begins" is the first movie of a trilogy Nolan plans to do and it shows a more realistic, much darker and cooler Batman then ever before. It transforms Batman from a humorous comic action hero to a dark, misunderstood avenger that tries to find his own way to bring justice to a town that sinks deeper and deeper into a pool of crime and violence. That basically sets the tone for the film: Dark, brutal, realistic (as far as a comic adaption can be), and it seems to be exactly the kind of Batman we currently need.
The actors are giving great performances with maybe the exception of Katie Holmes, which isn't so bad since she doesn't appear often enough to ruin the movie (and was eventually replaced in the sequel "The Dark Knight"). Christian Bale is a perfect new Batman, being both a perfect Gentlemen as Bruce Wayne and a real bad-ass as Batman. Alfred, who appears surprisingly often in this movie, is played by Michael Caine who - once more - gives a brilliant performance as the caring, wise butler. Lastly I should mention Cillian Murphy, who looks like a psycho killer anyway (seriously) and seems to fit perfectly for the role of Scarecrow.
The only thing I can hold against "Batman Begins" is - unfortunately - the first quarter of the movie, where Bruce Wayne learns his fighting from an old Samurai in the mountains. What disturbed me about that part is for one, that it takes the mystery of why Batman is such a great fighter away from the viewer. It also seems weird that 50 (or so) Samurai fighters meet in the mountains just to train some guy they don't even know. Lastly, that part of the movie was simply a little boring. I wasn't actually bored, but it was clear that this basically only solved the purpose of explaining why Bruce Wayne is such a great fighter and that made it less interesting. After all, this is only a small thing in an otherwise great movie, "Batman Begins" just gets better from there.
In the end, Batman Begins convinces you with a Batman you have never seen like this before, a Batman you would actually be scared off if you met him in real life. Batman's inner daemons and his motifs for doing what he is doing have never felt more authentic, and the danger for Gotham City was never more understandable for the viewer. This is topped with brilliant performances and great images.