Epic and Beautiful

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2005)

Fans of comic books have been fortunate as of late to have realistic interpretations of their beloved medium put forth by Hollywood. Starting with the successes of Blade and X-Men, it was apparent to Hollywood that comic book movies did not have to be campy or child-like. This has helped to create some fantastic adaptations, including the massive success of the Spider-Man films. After last year, I was of the mind that things could not get better than Spider-Man 2. I felt that it was as perfect a comic-book adaptation as we were going to get.
However, when it was announced that Christopher Nolan -- whose film Memento is easily one of my favorite films of the past decade -- had signed on to direct the next Batman film, I was intrigued. This intrigue was cemented into awe when David Goyer's script was accepted, Christian Bale was cast and a slew of impressive talent joined on, from Gary Oldman and Michael Caine to Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe and Rutger Hauer. And as a film score fanatic, I was absolutely blown away that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard chose to collaborate on the music.
Upon seeing this film, I have to say that Spider-Man 2 does not even come close to the perfection that Batman Begins achieves. Batman Begins is an epic film on its own right, aside from its comic book origins. It is an action adventure that takes itself seriously from the first frame of film and does not fall into the realm of cliché and childish humor that so many others do.
Furthermore, this is the first movie of the dark knight that actually featured suspense and fear. I had questioned the choice of Scarecrow as a villain. However, Nolan's direction and the fantastic performance by Cillian Murphy propel this villain to the forefront of all the Batman villains to date.
Needless to say, any fan of comic books, action films and epic adventure will find nothing but the best of entertainment in this film. From a well crafted script, wonderful cinematography, fantastic set designs and excellent pacing, to refreshing performances and a unique approach to the subject matter, this is a film that will easily stand the test of time.