A breath of fresh air

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2013)

When it first came out I assumed it was intended as a prequel to the already existing Batman film series started off by Tim Burton's Batman (1989) . Only with the release of the later films did it dawn on me that this was an entirely new and independent take on Batman.
The plot, as the title suggests, revolves on the origin of Batman, how Bruce Wayne learns to overcome his fears to fight evil. It is quite straight forward, but that's fine with an origin story. There is a twist at the end, but not a very good one. Definitely one of those 'Curse you sudden but inevitable betrayal!' moments.
The acting is amazing, with an all star cast including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, not much needs to be said here.
Nolan does a great job directing. He keeps you interested throughout Wayne's training up the point where he finally becomes Batman. He manages to weave a strong thematic element of overcoming your fears into it, from Waynes struggle with his fear of bats to the antagonist Scarecrow using peoples fears against them.
Considering the last two installments in the previous series, Batman Begins is a welcome breath of fresh air and does a fine job of reviving the franchise while adding a new spin to it. I am quite fond of Nolan's approach. Tim Burton's vision was of a more surreal Gotham, while Nolan goes for a very realistic 'crime drama' of sorts. For this reason it is impossible to compare this film to Tim Burton's. They are both very good films and I can only recommend you watch both and decide for yourself who's vision you like more.