Draws a new line for Comic-Book Movies

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2005)

Let us presuppose that most movies based on comic books simply are not very good, that they exist merely to exploit the popularity of their titles and the "brand value" of their characters, often full of special effects but usually lacking in anything that resembles an interesting plot. The best of these films (such as "Darkman") are often not even based on real comic books. And then there is the revered and serious character of Batman, bastardized thus far on celluloid (though the '60s camp outing had its own charm) but now elegantly reborn.
To call this a "Comic Book" movie is to not do it justice. "Batman Begins" is, first and foremost, a good movie - one that just happens to be based on a comic book character. It is rare in studio films that they are able to be as rich as this one, much less big-budgeted franchise flicks that are essentially pre-sold on their built-in audience base. This offering is uncharacteristically subversive, intelligent and emotionally engaging. There are moments that are even truly frightening. For this, we can obviously thank the director and his excellent screenplay, but we can presumably also thank the studio for not meddling. Clearly, this was not a "film by committee" scenario. The result is a rather adult motion picture, a bit too violent and scary for kids (though sadly still being marketed to them by the studio) but quite satisfying for those of us who like action-oriented movies with substance (and would just as soon pretend the other four recent Batman movies from Warner Brothers were never made).