Everything I hoped for

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2005)

I said it before, I'll say it again. Nolan is an amazing talent. Not prone to repetitive, flashy, gimmicky directorial style (see Darren Aronofsky, not dependent on pop culture references in the dialog to keep it "hip" (see Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith), and he's not prone to the same IL' tricks every time he tells a story, like telling the plot out of sequence (see Aronofsky, Tarantino & Smith). He did that twice (Following and Momento), he moved on. He's a storyteller with class, creativity, and diversity. Now, onto Batman Begins. Wow. What a visceral powerhouse. Loved it. I thought Revenge of the Sith was good, but this is very good. Nolan actually makes the concept of a "Batman" seem remotely plausible. The performances are solid across the board, even if the dialog veers into the realm of the hokey at times. Caine is stellar. Freeman is great as usual. Bale is solid, despite his weird-ass Batman "voice". His performance as Bruce Wayne is what shines.
The screenplay, I've got to say, returns to the wonderful creativity of a young Lucas. Well, not THX-1138 young, but Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark young :D The pieces of the plot all fit. Nothing's left to spare. Everything happens for a reason and needs to be there. And it's not rampaging formulaic as were all previous Batman films.
The story is told well, and the simple, primal underscore really hightlights it. The Scarecrow makes for a damned interesting villain, and Liam Neeson brings a lot of conviction to the role.
The action is sometimes shot too closely, making it hard to see exactly what's going on, but for the most part, it's pulled off quite well.
In terms of visual ambition, the award for best of 2005 probably goes to Revenge of the Sith, but in terms of top to bottom quality, I give it to Batman Begins.
Nolan's terrific. My favorite Batman film of the lot.