The best, most intelligent super-hero movie ever made...

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2005)

I had considerable doubts when I heard that Warner Bros intended to bring the Batman film series staggering back to life. At the height of the super-hero box office swell, and fresh off the big disappointment that was The Hulk (my favorite comic book character), I was wary about the idea of seeing yet another director take a shot at a franchise that was believed by many to be dead. I couldn't help but remember my first trip to the movie theater, age 9, when my grandfather officially became the coolest person in the history of the world by sneaking me into a PG-13 film. That film: Batman. It's funny, I can't remember anything of what I did that year in elementary school, nor what I got for Christmas. But the experience of watching the Dark Knight come to life right in front of me lives in my memory to this day.
But hey, that was 1989, and a lot had happened to the Caped Crusader since then, Joel Schumacher and a nipple-suit, most notably. Worse yet, as the release date for Batman Begins approached, the local cineplex was already steeped in super-hero films. Even when I heard that Christian Bale, who I'd loved in Equilibrium and Reign of Fire, was signed to play the man beneath the cowl, and that Christopher Nolan, director of one of my all-time faves, Memento, was going to give his take of Batman's story, something about me was still hesitant. I couldn't allow myself to get excited, almost like a jilted lover not allowing themselves to set the bar too high.
That said, Batman Begins shattered my expectations, and cemented itself as the obvious choice for the best, and the smartest super-hero movie of all time. The way Nolan and company made this film should serve as a guide for anyone trying to write or film good fiction. Make no mistake: The premise of Batman is about as far-fetched as they come. A billionaire spends his nights jumping around on rooftops in a costume with unbelievably high-tech gadgetry, protecting a city against a cavalcade of colorful villains. In the hands of other directors, a premise like this is handled as-is: The Tim Burtons or Joel Schumachers of the business see a hyper-real, romanticized story and exploit the imagery of the comic book world for good cinema thrills. There's plenty of explosions and cool cars, because it's a comic book movie and it's going to be watched by comic book fans, right?
Batman Begins takes a fantastic premise, and treats it with INTELLIGENCE. Christopher Nolan, in deciding to go back to Batman's origins, leaves no stone unturned, and outlines, in a real-world way, the inspirations behind Bruce Wayne's transformation into his brooding alter-ego. It manages to stay true to the comic book fanbase, sating them with plenty of eye candy, but manages to establish a compelling STORY about PEOPLE. By the time Bruce Wayne commits to his life as the Dark Knight, we're so invested in him, we're no longer looking at the Bruce Wayne scenes as "killing time" between slam-bang action sequences. We're actually interested in what happens when Batman TAKES OFF THE MASK.
This movie enthralled me, it told me an in-depth story of justice, vengeance, and consequence. It was upfront, mature, and honest with me from the beginning. It didn't treat me like a fanboy who was only there to see the new Batmobile, but still appeased to the 9-year-old who never left that movie theater in 1989. This stands as proof that if you have a good story about PEOPLE that's treated in an intelligent way, the action (which is second-to-none) is just a bonus addition to an already powerful and well-rounded film.