Great Beginning for Batman.

Rating: 9/10 (25 June 2007)

After 8 years, the Batman franchise is revived with "Batman Begins." This is a great film where it depicts explicitly how Bruce Wayne came to become his alter ego, Batman. He (Christian Bale) goes to Asia and gets trained by a ninja cult leader. He returns to Gotham City in time to see it being overwhelmed by crime and corruption, which is when he found his calling. Unlike the previous Batman films of the late 1980s to 1990s, this film elaborates on important elements like Bruce's first encounter with bats, the discovery of the cave (Batcave) under his mansion and the creation of the Batmobile and Batsuit.
This film returns to its roots as a dark, somber and powerful film, which matches the mood and personality of Bruce Wayne/Batman, a departure from the campiness and cheesiness of the latter two Batman films of the 1990s. Each plot element was treated with care and had its own flavor. The part where Batman saves the little boy from Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) depicts a true heroism; something that the boy can believe in-a hero and benefactor. In addition, the love/hate relationship between Bruce and Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) serves well as a sub-plot.
The special effects and stunts were outstanding, and each character performance was memorable. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman were among the ones that gave great performances. It was clear that the budget for this film was generous, for there were good character development, great drama, mixed in with some humor. It is important to see how Bruce Wayne's relationship develops with Alfred, Luscious Fox and Commissioner Gordon, because it is clear that these people will be among the handful that will be true allies to Bruce/Batman.
Overall, a fantastic start to the Batman franchise, and hopefully, its sequels will be treated with equal care.
Grade A