The greatest Bat film ever, possibly the best comic book film of the 21st century

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2005)

Christopher Nolan and crew are to be commended for a job well done. If you are moderately interested in Batman, perhaps enjoyed the first film or two but was appalled with Schumacher's take on the series, you will love Batman Begins for its return to the darker, more serious side of Batman. If you are, however, a true Batman fan (by that I mean you have read your share of Bat comics and genuinely appreciate the character), this film will blow your mind.
First off, let me say that Goyer and Nolan do take a lot of "artistic license" with the origin story; though is such a thing possible with a story that has been retold countless times? Anyway, there are a lot of new ideas thrown into the mix of Bruce Wayne's struggle - and subsequently, a lot of dimension.
The mission of Batman Begins is really very simple - to bring a sense of realism and maturity to the Batman tale.
When I say realism, I do not mean it is realistic. How could it be? But the film approaches the subject with the question, "Okay - what if it WERE possible?" And the suspension of belief works well.
But besides all of that, what is really important about this film? Christian Bale. He MAKES Batman work. Never before has any television or film truly captured the intensity, the ferocious growl, the unstoppable passion that Bruce Wayne has.
And this is a film about Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Which is why it works so well.
I think this film would not have been possible, perhaps, without Spider-man's birth to the screen. Spider-man revolutionized superhero movies, gave some credibility to them. It showed the world that, in order to make a movie about a superhero, you have to instead focus on the alter ego - the real person.
But Batman is a little trickier than Spider-man, I think. You see, the twist to this character is that, the Batman IS Bruce Wayne. Wayne the billionaire is the mask. Perhaps this seems a little simple, but the film really takes a hard look at it, and shows us two different Wayne's. This Batman does not require his costume in order to be Batman.
There's a wonderful scene that shows an interaction between a little boy and the Batman. Batman attempts to stay hidden as he clings to a building in an alley, spying on a villain attempting to get rid of criminal evidence. The boy emerges from his beaten down apartment, parents yelling at each other in the background. He looks out on his rugged balcony, then catches a glimpse of the Batman - right next to him. Instead of rushing off, Batman just kind of shares a moment with him, silent at first, and the boy says with hope, "I knew you were real. No one else believes me." Bruce watches him a second longer, then hands him a device from his belt and disappears. This wasn't the cheesy, super-hero interacting with adoring fan type scene. It was almost like two kindred spirits, the hero feeling the child's pain and reaching out to him.
The thing that is so wonderful about this version of Batman is that, while he appears heartless, he's actually full of compassion. And it isn't just the dorky super-hero type "calling". It runs in the family. We learn in the film that Bruce's great grandfather helped slaves escape to the North during the Civil War. We see perhaps one of the deepest renditions of Bruce's father, Thomas, as being a strong, compassionate and loving father, who's saying sticks with Bruce all his life: "Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves back up." Michael Caine does a riveting job as Alfred, much more masculine (in a gentlemanly way) than past incarnations, a bit more youthful and definitely more agile. His fatherly influence warms the heart and makes us treasure every second with the character (though it might just be because of Caine, who is a phenomenal actor). Think of a "Second Hand Lions" type Alfred.
Then there's the love interest (if you can call it that), Rachel. Honestly, I understand why they put her in here, but she really has no point to the story. She's not the reason he becomes Batman. She doesn't stop him from being Batman. She's just kind of there, a convenient voice from the past. Really, any of her scenes (aside from the kiss at the end) could have been given to Alfred, and it would have worked better. But being that she's actually such a small part of the film, it doesn't bother me that much.
I won't go into the villains, because I can't say much there without giving it away. I will say, though, that they are again, very much based in realism, not in comic color poetry. There are a wide variety of villains in this film, and at the end, the promise of one very special foe in the sequel.
This film ends on a definite note of continuation, as even the main titles suggest it (the title "Batman Begins" doesn't even flash until the last scene has rolled). But it works, because you knew that was coming anyway, right? Personally, I feel this film is a much more mature comic book film than Spider-man, Superman, Fantastic Four, X-men, etc. will ever be. While not realistic, Batman Begins is BELIEVABLE, and I will definitely be frequenting the theaters quite a bit this summer to see this movie again and again.