A masterful and thrilling movie... Bale is perfectly characterized as Bruce Wayne alias Batman

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2005)

First of all, I want to tell you that I have been one of Batman's greatest fans since I started reading the comic books. Actually I discovered Batman before I started reading the comic books, which is not that strange because I was born in the year of 1989. When I was about eight years old, I watched the first Batman movie starring Michael Keaton. And yeah, I liked the humor in that movie a lot. I didn't like the second movie as much as I liked the first, but it was yet a great movie. But when I watched the third and fourth movies, which was after I started reading the comic books, I really disliked it. I couldn't understand why they wanted to make such two bad movies when Burton did good with the two first movies. Although Batman & Robin was a bit fun, I yet disliked it.
And now, the fifth movie has finally arrived and come to the cinemas anywhere. This is the movie that tells the background story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman... And it has never been that good. It is darker than ever, but the mind of humor is still there, and is noticed sometimes throughout the movie. You notice a few known faces - whose names are such like Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson and Rutger Hauer. And of course, not to be forgotten, the star of this movie - Christian Bale. Honestly, I think Bale is perfectly characterized as Bruce Wayne alias Batman, probably also better than Michael Keaton, who I couldn't really like in the first two movies.. But in here, I really feel Bale is the right one as Batman... He gives a mix of feelings with fear, power, charisma and revenge. But I have to admit that Michael Caine really is great besides Batman as his butler, and he is also the first who gets to know Bruce's intentions of becoming Batman... and helps him in all ways, being like a sort of uncle for him. Caine is really an excellent actor and he gives a proof of him being one of the movie's greatest actors throughout the movie's history in this movie.
It starts with Bruce as a little boy being attacked by a lot of bats and how he is getting nightmares of it. Some days later, interrupting a Opera show because of his fear of bats, Bruce sees his parents being murdered of a thief. He becomes powerless, making it his life purpose to revenge the one who killed his parents. But some incident 14 years later gets him to hide himself, taking him to the criminal way... and to a prison and finally to a mountain, where he meets a mystic man who teaches him to accept his fear and to fight. Back to Gotham City, Alfred becomes Bruce's truths worthy assistant and soon Bruce is able to characterize himself as Batman, Gotham City's rescuer from falling in decline. With help of a police (Oldman) and an employer of Wayne Tower (Freeman) who knew his father , Bruce tries to save the city and surprise the villains and give them what they deserve. But it becomes a hard fight against decline.
A great movie that is thrilling, amazing and magnificent as well as masterful. Gotham City looks like a darker version of Chicago, Manhattan and Chinatown, and is greatly illustrated and dark toned. The stars are great and Holmes is fitting as Rachel, her serious charisma making it realistic.
But even though it is great, the background story takes much time but it is yet great to know the background story of Batman, when you only experienced a few minutes of it in the first Batman movie with Keaton. This time it is different, modern, darker and more spectacular than ever, but I can't say if it is better than the two first movies - but one thing is true and it is that the background story is greatly made and that the stars have never been better. Actually, everything is great and I can't complain of anything bad in this movie, but I feel it is yet not enough to give this movie full grade... something is missing.
It is the third movie this half year that is based on a comic book - first it was Sin City, then it was Fantastic Four and now this... Still Sin City is the best.