Finally, a Batman Movie.

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2005)

If you go to this movie and you are a die-hard comic book Batman fan you will not be disappointed.
If you liked the previous Batman movies, you will probably be surprised how much better this take on Batman truly is.
But if you even thought that Batman should stayed the way it was previously portrayed through the Tim Burton versions, you should probably spend some time visiting a nearby bookstore that sells graphic novels and real some of the better graphic novels before continuing with this review.
Why?
Because this movie is perhaps what most die-hard Batman comic book fans wanted the first time around. A big reason may be that for at least the last 15 years the writing for the Batman comic books have been very edgy and in many ways far more cerebral than what Tim Burton gave us way back when. Batman is considered the "Dark Knight" and also the "detective" -- the everyman forged by circumstances and haunted by a past of regret and misfortune to become something more than the mere law enforcement crime fighter.
Does this make it as carefree and enjoyable as, say, MR. AND MRS. SMITH? Maybe not. But satisfying?
Yes.
The campiness that was evident in the comedic Batman series of old was not something that most of these diehards probably care for nor desire to see in their superhero.
And why would they? After seeing what graphic novels could truly become through the works of Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN YEAR ONE, and Alan Moore's THE WATCHMEN (not a Batman storyline but something quite exceptional and worth mentioning), it seems that the expectations of Batman was to create something edgy, that was in many ways based in reality and above all, brooding and logical.
That is what we get when we see BATMAN BEGINS -- a somewhat realistic storyline that explains via the many cause-and-effect events why a young man suffering the haunting death of his family would find no other recourse than to don a batsuit and prowl the night.
This is not a film that is so fantastical nor focused on the weirdness of the badguys (the previous movies should have really been titled, JOKER, PENGUIN, and THE RIDDLER, not BATMAN since Batman was really more of an afterthought of the series not the real focus of the stories). Rather BATMAN BEGINS is really the first cinematic story about BRUCE WAYNE, who is also BATMAN.
And that makes this story far more overdue and interesting than what came before.
What haunts the entire premise of Batman is in fact the question of WHY:
Why would someone even consider donning a cape and all to fight evil?
Why would a billionaire who supposedly has so much money and therefore influence, still resort to such means?
Why wouldn't he simply try to inspire community development via civic activities?
Why wouldn't he take the Capra-esquire view and become a philanthropist -- giving away his money to the needy like MR. DEEDS GOES TO WASHINGTON?
Why not simply use his money to become influential within the court system to try to fight justice that way?
And how does one exorcise one's demons if one lives with the guilt that one may have contributed to one's own parents' death?
How would he face his fears?
Would he allow his personal hatred to warp his mind, to make him weak, and transform himself into the very thing he despises? Does he become the cowardly lot that he despises due to his intense hatred? Yes. We see this in the story and how it took the dignity and outrage of those he loves to snap him out of his cowardly ways.
All of these questions are addressed in a very logical manner. And as a result it becomes a very analytical view of the nature of man.
WHY is the question being asked in the movie -- something the filmmaker does an incredible job answering.
Why does one man become a criminal and another a crime fighter? What kind of roll models such as RA'S AL GHUL and the LEAGUE OF SHADOWS provide young Wayne, and why do the ninja suits that Ghul's forces use, make it almost inevitable that young Wayne would create the Batsuit? Why does the rhetoric of Ghul's henchman, DUCARD, make it logical for Wayne to choose a Bat as his persona?
In the comic book world, Batman is considered the "modern" detective -- a thinking man (but also fallible) who, by his own force of will and intellect -- wages a war against the darker aspects of humanity.
BATMAN BEGIN succeeds because it never forgets this fact.