The first film to really nail what Batman should be!

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2010)

I first saw Batman Begins in theaters, and I remember walking away from this movie blown away and thoroughly impressed! It was everything I wanted in a Batman movie! The characters were adapted very well from their comic book versions, there was minimal language, the time of the movie was not wasted with things like sex scenes or other typical things in a Hollywood film, etc.
One of the most impressive things to me was how they nailed Batman's and the other character's personalities. People have pointed out to me that the Burton and Schumacher films did not focus enough on Batman and focused too much on the villains. They are absolutely right! Batman is just as interesting, sometimes more interesting, than his villains, and Christopher Nolan, being the brilliant director that he is, shows us why in this film. We see how the tragedy of losing his parents changes Bruce Wayne's life and how his fears motivate him to make Gotham a better place. Another important aspect of Batman that this film got right: He DOES NOT kill! I remember him saying to Joker in the 89 film that he would kill him: Not a part of Batman's personality. Although Batman does not save Ra's at the end of the film, he did not kill him. I think this was a logical thing to do since no prison would have been able to hold him. He is as skilled as Bruce, and he leads a major organization of terrorists. Definition: He would escape and do it all over again.
On that note, I must say that the depiction of the villains in this film is almost as impressive as the depiction of Batman. Even though they changed Ra's from trying to preserve nature, I think making him someone trying to stop the evil in the world is a logical step for him as well. Another aspect of Ra's they changed was that he was not Ducard in the comics. However, it's a good way of introducing him since he wanted Bruce to be his heir to his empire in the comics and since this is a more realistic version of the character. His skill in combat is another great aspect! A thing that die hard comic book fans might not like about this film is that it does show or mention the Lazarus Pit in any way. Ra's Al Ghul's immortality is something that is not touched upon very much. However, keeping in mind that this is a more realistic telling of the Batman story, I think that the film is true enough to the character that he's just as interesting, if not more interesting, a character than he is in the comics.
The portrayal of Scarecrow is also well done! He is not as impressive in this as he is in the comics, but he is still good enough that the character gets due justice. Cilian Murphy did an excellent job bringing his intelligence and insanity to the screen. I think it would be cool to see a film where Scarecrow is the main villain, but his role in the film is enough to show you how dangerous he can be and why he is a formidable foe for Batman.
Speaking of Cilian Murphy, another impressive thing about this film was the casting: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Cilian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson, and the rest of the cast all did great jobs in playing their respective characters. Christian Bale is the perfect Bruce Wayne. I that Keaton made a better Batman but not the better Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is definitely all Bale's. Bale's Batman is still good enough that you enjoy and care about the character though. Of course, no one's better than Kevin Conroy! LOL Being a huge fan of Batman: The Animated Series, I cannot think of anyone else who can do as wonderful of a job for Ra's Al Ghul as David Warner did except for Liam Neeson. His voice matches the same quality that Warner's had for the character. I did not think I would love Michael Caine at first, but I did! He was absolutely perfect for Alfred! I think Caine's portrayal is the best version of this character yet! Also, Gary Oldman makes the perfect Jim Gordon, and the relationship between him and Batman is portrayed perfectly in this film, another mistake of the previous films. I think Katie Holmes did better than Kim Basinger as well. I think Basinger did a good job, but Holmes has more to do than scream! She is an interesting character and is a great blend of tough and sweet.
Now, for the action, the fighting style that Batman uses is absolutely incredible! From fighting regular thugs to fighting Ra's, it is breathtaking! Seeing Batman come out of nowhere was truly amazing! The chase scene with the police was great too!
The music was also very impressive! I've been a huge fan of Hans Zimmer's music for a long time, from Lion King to Gladiator, and this is no exception! He and James Newton Howard did excellent work!
Batman was a good film, but I feel that this one was so much better. My only complaints about this movie is that I feel there is a bit of unnecessary language and that Bale's Batman voice is sometimes annoying, but that does not stop this from being a terrific film! With this film, Christopher Nolan started a trilogy that has come to define the way that Batman should be! It seems almost impossible for anyone to do a better job with this character than Nolan has!