Batman truly does Begin....and hopefully will continue....

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2005)

I can honestly say that I am one of the biggest Batman fans around. I've been a fan my whole life. I've read the graphic novels, own collectibles, toys, etc. I am a fan-boy. Plain and simple. I could not wait for this movie to come out. 8 years since, "Batman and Robin" a.k.a "A Death in The Family" 2 years since it was announced and the anticipation was killing me. This move was just everything I could of hoped for. I saw it last night and It just hasn't hit me. I think one of the reasons a lot of people are Batman fans is he is a character we can in someway relate to. He's human, he makes mistakes, he has fears and secrets and goals. The way he is portrayed on screen has all of those items and then some. Christian Bale's performance is quite simply amazing. He gets great material to work with and he covers the 3 sides to Bruce Wayne with great transition and believability that it makes him the best on screen Bruce/Batman yet. He's read the graphic novels and the man just gets it. What also helps make this movie more believable is the seriousness of the incredible actors he is surrounded by who don't get full of themselves. Freeman, Caine, Oldman, Neeson, Hauer, Murphy and Watanabe all believe in this movie. Freeman is as always, awesome in his role as Lucius Fox explaining all of the gadgetry and sharing stories with Bruce. The gadgets are also explained really well. No-more wondering what magazine order form he filled out for his grappling hook and other items. Caine and Oldman give performances that are worthy of many fan-boys praise. They take there characters and run with them and it is exactly how it is represented in the comics. Holmes did a decent job in her role and is there not for eye candy, but to show us a little more into Bruce's head and how he deals with feelings. Neeson plays against the grain in his role as Ducard and does some good stuff with an almost unrecognized character from the comics. Hauer, Watanabe, and Murphy have minimal but important roles and really do a good job with what's given to them and have fun while playing it serious. Nolan also needs to be commended for going all in on something he believed in from the get go. He had his image of a Batman movie in his head and took it to Warner Brothers and they backed him up 110%. Taking examples from the different graphic novels and combining them to basically create a city all his own. He also brought out the best in each actor you see on screen. Goyer wrote a great script. He knew what the fans wanted and as a fan-boy himself, he delivered. The fight scenes were tight and well done and the style brutal. The fact they didn't use a lot of CGI made me enjoy it more because it added to the realism that is nowadays missing from movies that are loaded with CGI effects. The sound is simply out of this world. The sound of The Batmobile when it is first shown is something I cannot explain unless you hear it yourself. The editing and cinematography is excellent because it incorporates new techniques with old ones. This movie still has me thinking and I like that. I like going to movies and leaving just unable to think about anything else except what just happened on the screen and where it is going to go. The inevitable sequels have big shoes to fill. The end will leave you drooling over the possibilities of what's to come. This is one of if not the best superhero movie ever put on film.