A definitive Batman film.

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2015)

This to me is THE definitive Batman film.
Brooding and dark, Nolan gave Batman a revitalization it needed after WB/Schumacher's god- awful Batman & Robin.
We get a darker and more serious toned Batman along with a fine performance from Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's more fleshed out in this film more so than the previous incarnations of Batman on screen. Bale embodies everything I wanted in a Bruce Wayne. He's not wearing a mask when he's Batman, but he is when he's Bruce Wayne. Something that hasn't been really dived into, with the exception of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, as it sort of was.
Here we understand why Bruce Wayne is doing what he's doing and why he's out there putting himself on the line to beat criminals to a pulp with everything he knows. Batman Begins is also told in a nonlinear narrative. We get a series of flashbacks that develop Bruce's persona. We also get a Batman that fully utilizes his detective skills and his gadgets are very impressive. Almost real world like. Very little cgi in this film, almost everything is practical.
Speaking of real world like, Nolan completely nails the tone of the film. It's grounded and works perfectly for a character like Batman.
The supporting cast is excellent. Gary Oldman, Michael Cain, and Morgan Freeman are all spot on as Bruce Wayne/Batman's allies. Finally we have a Commissioner Gordon that is faithfully represented unlike the previous installments. Gordon does a lot more than just calling Batman for help, he actually dives into the action working Batman. Oldman is the perfect Gordon and it's very hard to imagine another actor in that role. Alfred is a lot more fleshed out as well, Michael Cain and Nolan bring more of a father figure role and is more than just a butler. Morgan Freeman provides the humor and levity of the film as Lucius Fox, who supplies Wayne's toys.
I think out of all the villains in Nolan's almost perfect trilogy, the one who is overlooked is Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul. Nesson's portrayal is very underrated. He plays that mentor role to Bruce very well and he's not a typical evil villain, rather a villain who really believes that he's doing the right thing by destroying Gotham City as it's infested with crime. Something he and Bruce do not see eye to eye: killing. Cillian Murphy is awesome as Dr. Crane otherwise known as Scarecrow. Every moment with the Scarecrow is gold and it's a shame he's nothing more than just as "pawn," as Batman puts it. Tom Wilkinson also has a sharp supporting role as Carmine Falcone a powerful mob boss and I even enjoyed Mark Boone Junior as Gordon's corrupt partner Detective Flass.
The action scenes involving the Batman's vehicle the tumbler is exciting, but I cannot say the same for the hand to hand fight sequences. Batman's extraordinary martial arts are exploited as well as they could be. There's too much shaky cam and you can't tell who or what is happening. I felt only small amounts of chemistry between Katie Holmes and Christian Bale. I liked some of Holmes's performance, but like Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man film, where Holmes's character Rachel declares her love for Bruce, it's very awkward and kinda bland. Almost uncomfortable to watch.
With a strong lead, and a supporting cast, solid script by David S. Goyer, and under the direction of Christopher Nolan, this is the Batman film I've been waiting for.
9.6/10