Batman Begins is THE Batman movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2005)

The opening display of the DC comics logo followed by the bats swarming the screen was a great opening. The first half of the film was perfect for introducing the audience to what makes Batman such a unique comic book character and what drives him to do what he does. The sequences with his father were touching and well acted. It established the family legacy which Batman fulfills.The scene where he enters the Batcave for the first time was awesome. The lone man amongst the thousands of swarming bats was a great spectacle,I guess Alfred has rabies shots in the medicine cabinet.
The training sequences with flashbacks to his childhood and youth were perfect. Great mix of story and action leading to a climactic battle with the faux Ra's Al Ghul.
I thought that the Lucius Fox character would suck based on the commercials but the charming Morgan Freeman won me over along with the development of the character just like the comic. BTW, did everyone catch the remarks between Alfred and Lucius while Bruce was recovering from his first contact with Scarecrow. " Good seeing you, Alfred" "You too, Lucius" In pre-Crisis Batman mythos, both Alfred and Lucius fought together with the French Resistance during WWII where Alfred fathered a daughter with the resistance fighter known as Mademoiselle Marie. In other words, they have known each other for a very very long time. I wonder if they will build on this relationship in future films.
Who doesn't love Rutger Hauer? His cocky CEO character was perfect but of course we all knew how it would end. But it was a nice little side story to show Bruce's ability in the business world. Along with the spoiled billionaire displays, Nolan gave us a great picture of Bruce Wayne, the man, albeit as Rachel notes at the end, his true mask is when he is not wearing the cowl.
The inclusion of Arkham Asylum was a great way of introducing the rogue's gallery of Batman and the casting of Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane was genius. He looked perfect in his suit, slender and lanky, just like the book. And having the inmates escape was a great device which has been used many times over the past decades to create chaos for Batman. Perfect setup for sequels. Liam Neeson was his usual excellent self portraying Ducard with an initial slight reservation then thundering back as he slowly reveals his true abilities. That was a wonderful little twist which was kept quiet. And he ain't dead, they League of Shadows( actually the League of Assassins in the comics) will recover his body and give him a dip in the Lazarus pit. Remember his monologue about how the League has been there for hundreds of years to destroy civilizations at their apex? He has been around for a very long time.
After hearing the complaints regarding Katie Holmes, I didn't mind her character. The thinking for this film is that one man can't clean up the city unless he has help, an honest DA and an honest cop. Of course, we all know who the next DA will be. Gary Oldman was another perfect casting as a young Lieutenant James Gordon. He looked perfect in reacting to the whole situation like any normal person would when first seeing a guy in a batsuit. The inclusion of Flass was a nice touch but unfortunately he looked like Harvey Bullock. Go check out the trade paperback Batman: Year One to see how Gordon gives it to Flass and Commissioner Loeb, much better than the movie scene. Did everyone see the Batgirl cameo in the highchair? Aww, she was so cute. Batman actually saves her in the Year One comic book.
Speaking of Year One, the scene where the Batman is talking to Gordon about how to rescue Rachel was inspired by the comic book. He uses the sonic frequency to call the bats, and he actually fights the SWAT team and goes out of his way to ensure that he doesn't kill the cops and even saves a cat (awww!) while battling them in a dilapidated burning building. The Batmobile is a monster. I thought it looked dumb in pictures but that think kicks ass! I also wonder if we caught a preview of a young Tim Drake during the film. Who knows which Robin they will bring in the future, if at all.
Overall I would say this is the definitive Batman on film. The atmosphere, settings and casting were perfect. Although there were some tweaks with the mythos, it paid tribute to the comic books with many shots like Batman standing on the building ledges and his dropping from the sky with the cape spread open. I read interviews with Bale where he said he wanted to honour the character and not be campy. Both he and Nolan deserve credit for preserving the legacy of the Batman character for the next generation to enjoy on film. Bob Kane can rest easy as the Bat is in good hands at present.
With Spiderman 2, Sin City and now Batman Begins, is it possible that Hollywood is finally realizing that staying true to the comic books produces the most entertaining movies instead of a director or writer giving their interpretation of characters? If they wanted their interpretation to be seen, go write or draw the comic book. Most comic books, despite being ridiculed by many ,have crossed pop culture from the page to every other medium out there. Even people who have never read a comic book have heard of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc. so why not stay true to what put them on radar, the comic books. Go see this film, you will enjoy it.