DC triumphantly strikes back; The Batman has finally arrived

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2005)

For the last eight years, all of the die hard fans of DC Comics, and in particular, the long-suffering fans of the most mortal superhero of our time, the Batman, have watched in agony as comic book films reign triumphant at the box office, almost all of them with the Marvel logo attached. The X-Men films, the Spider-Man films, the Blade trilogy, and a few others are an example of their success.
Meanwhile, the DC fans have writhed in pain as the last time they could remember their caped crusader was when he wore a nipple clad suit and fought the governor of California in one of the worst movies ever made, Batman and Robin.
The DC fans went into exile, hoping, praying that one day their REAL hero would return them the way he was meant to.
On June 15, 2005, the day finally came. The Batman came back to cast his shadow on comic book cinema.
More importantly, from the moment the brand new DC Comics logo appeared before the movie, DC Comics finally sent the message they have wanted to send for some time: WE ARE BACK.
Batman Begins is a film that for the first time ever tells the story of how Bruce Wayne became the Batman, the dark knight of justice against evil in Gotham City. Instead of focusing on the villains of the film and how they rose to power, this movie, in a formula similar to Spider-Man, tells how Batman was created, and finally gives his character the depth that he deserves.
The story follows Bruce Wayne's life from the moment his parents died, through his teen years as he dealt with the loss, to the point where he realizes his ultimate vision of becoming Gotham City's symbol of justice, and the best part is that EVERYTHING is EXPLAINED.
When you watch this movie, you know WHY he is Batman and you know HOW he is Batman. He is never simply a crazed vigilante in a bat suit scaring people. His methods are logical and realistic and for the first time, you UNDERSTAND WHY HE DOES WHAT HE DOES.
The story is excellently crafted by David S. Goyer, who is capable of making masterpieces as long as he is paired with the right director, who in this case is Christopher Nolan, the genius behind Memento, Following, and Insomnia. At no point did this story seem too campy or unrealistic and at no point did it fail to draw in the viewer. Everything is clearly presented and highly engrossing.
The cast is excellent from top to bottom, even at its weakest link with Katie Holmes playing assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes. Christian Bale, in what might be his strongest role yet, is the perfect age and personality for the playboy of Bruce Wayne and more importantly, he makes you believe that he IS the dark, frighteningly vengeful Batman, with a voice and personality that scares EVERYBODY, good or bad.
Michael Caine is the perfect Alfred Pennyworth, the consort and friend of Bruce Wayne, Morgan Freeman is sharp and resourceful as Lucius Fox, the Wayne Enterprises executive with all of the wonderful toys, and Gary Oldman, after years of playing the bad guy in so many films, once again displays his versatility by bringing Jim Gordon to life, something that NONE of the other four films EVER did.
The villains do not take away from the attention paid to Batman and they do not dominate the story. They are there to do what they do, which is cause trouble and put a face on who the Batman fights. Tom Wilkinson, Cilian Murphy, Ken Watanabe and Liam Neeson are strong antagonists in this respect, doing only what they are supposed to be doing and not going over the top with their performances.
In addition, for the first time ever on film, Gotham City is Gotham City, a true comic book metropolis brought to life, displaying its true to life cityscapes while also showing its dark grittiness.
For awhile I always believed that the best incarnation of Batman was the 85 episodes of the Animated Series that appeared on Fox from 1992-1995. Now, with this new movie, the Batman looks better than he ever did. Warner Bros. and DC Comics looks as though they are finally ready to make amends for the past transgressions of the Batman franchise after seeing how attention to detail, depth and accuracy have benefited the Marvel movies in their success.
In the Top Ten list of Best Comic Book movies of all-time, Batman Begins sits proudly at the #2 spot, with only Spider-Man 2 slightly ahead of it at #1. My hope and faith for this franchise has been more than restored, and I now look forward to seeing the future films in this NEW Batman franchise, as well as the highly touted Superman Returns, and V for Vendetta, which will be in theaters next year.
Rejoice, all of you long suffering DC Comics fans. Our wait has ended. The monopoly of Marvel is coming to an end. The Batman is finally here, Superman is coming back soon, and there will be others to follow. DC COMICS STRIKES BACK!!!