Inferior To the Sequel, But Better Than Original Franchise

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2010)

It took me five years to give Batman Begins a complete viewing. In 2005, I opted to not give it a chance when I was given the task to watch it in Media Arts and answer questions on the film. I believed at the time for Scarecrow to be a tame opponent for Batman and I suppose I didn't quite fully understand the character of Batman.
After seeing The Dark Knight a great many times, I've come to understand Batman more carefully and now after viewing the way Batman comes to be, I can safely say that Christopher Nolan knows how to write the superhero the best. I believe The Dark Knight is far superior to Batman Begins on principles of acting, special effects, action, and characters.
Don't get me wrong, Batman Begins is a great film. It took me five years to realize this. Christian Bale is quite simply the best Bruce Wayne and Batman portrayal. He astonishes me as each persona and plays them like no one else can. Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow makes perfect sense as he's not a physical opponent but a psychological one. Liam Neeson is also a great actor and really shines in Batman Begins as a villain, which by my count is the first time I've seen him play an antagonist.
It's really a investment type of film. You need to really take your time to like it. You might not like it the first few viewings but in the end you will come to see that this Batman film is where it should have began, hence the name. It has an enormous cast of A-list actors and that's not all the film has to offer. Immense amounts of actions, special effects and really great dialogue puts Batman Begins atop the list of comic book adaptations along with The Dark Knight.
I can only assume Nolan will astound the audience once more with the final chapter of Batman with the third film upcoming. I won't be disappointed with the removal of Joker due to Heath Ledger's untimely death, and I won't have incredibly high expectations. But unlike Spider-man, X-Men and Fantastic Four, I don't think Batman can disappoint me.