The Batman movie we had been waiting for

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2014)

In 1989 Tim Burton changed the idea of the comic book movie with Batman. His twisted take on the Caped Crusader showed audiences that Batman could be much more than the camp version seen during Adam West's tenure. After two films, Joel Schumacher took the reins and subsequently plunged Batman back into a neon soaked, pun filled disaster, effectively killing off the character.
Enter Christopher Nolan, who decided to take Batman and place him in a world which was much more familiar to us. The strength of Batman Begins lies in it's gritty realism. Nolan crafts an immediately believable world in which we see how and why Bruce Wayne decided to become the Dark Knight, wrapping it in a story which takes on weighty themes such as fear, justice and grief.
The movie is effectively split into two parts, with the first half dealing with Bruce's transformation into Batman. After spending much of his time fighting petty criminals, Bruce encounters Ra's Al Ghul; the unforgiving leader of the mercenary group: The League Of Shadows. After training with the league, Bruce realises that he doesn't have it in him to act as judge, jury and executioner and decides to return to Gotham to clean up the streets. It's a fantastic origin story which explains, in great detail, how Bruce manages to pull off the incredible feats as Batman.
The second half is a little more generic, as Bruce realises he has to stop an evil psychologist, known as the Scarecrow, from destroying all of Gotham. Even though it sticks more rigidly to an established formula, it is still rollicking good fun, with Cillian Murphy offering a suitably creepy performance as Scarecrow and some breathtaking action sequences; the best being a chase between the Batmobile and the cops of Gotham. Despite it not reaching the heights of The Dark Knight, Batman Begins is the perfect starting point for anyone not familiar with the character, and the final scene is a perfect example of how to set up a sequel.
A dark and gritty take on the Caped Crusader; Batman Begins is one of the best comic book movies ever made. Nolan has not only re-invented the character but also raised the bar considerably for every other superhero movie out there. A triumph.