A triumphant infusion of character and return to grandeur for the franchise

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2005)

Tim Burton's masterful take on the first Batman installment was wildly entertaining, boasted a terrific cast led by Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger and a musical score courtesy Prince. After witnessing the cahoots of Schumacher's cheesy and lesser films, Batman Begins marks a terrific return to form for the franchise. Helmed by Christopher Nolan, the indie genius behind Memento and Insomnia, the blockbuster is given a restored sense of purpose, drama and bravura. The mere fact that the audience is not upset by the absence of Batman in full get up until the third act of the film, is a testament to all involved. This movie is about Bruce Wayne.
Batman Begins quickly revisits what is already known by audiences, as a kid he witnessed the murder of his parents and is guilted/haunted by this;and he leads a tortured, almost reclusive existence. At a young age, Wayne drops out of Princeton heads to the Himalyas, is taken on as a protégé of Ducard (Liam Neeson). There we find out how he learns to fight and is asked to join the League of Shadows (a secret society of assassins), led by Ra's Al Ghul (the massively under-utilized Ken Wantabe). However, his morality is tested by a specific assignment, which discredits him in the League's eyes. Returning to Gotham, he encounters romance courtesy Katie Holmes and stumbles across a bit of corporate intrigue, as he tries to regain control of Wayne Enterprises. The film is not bogged down by its stellar cast as we meet his support team of Alfred (played with great comic chops by Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman....who proves he can not only do bad guy roles).
Christian Bale as Batman is stunning. His looks, charm, poise screams Bruce Wayne, coupled with his acting prowess, he infuses the character with an air of sadness, grave intent and vulnerability. The film's narrative is steadfast and engrossing. The best surprise is the film's wonderful philosophical punch, with lines that can easily serve as "Thoughts for the Day". The film was also understatedly funny, in terms of Wayne's transformation into a superhero! The suit is cumbersome and watching him try to assume and maintain his double identity, conjures a twisted sense of humor. The darkness of this hero returns as he gets his vengeance by dealing with a crime boss (Tom Wilkinson), who is attached to the Wayne murders. We also get an all too contrived plot introducing the menacing Scarecrow (deviously played by Cillian Murphy), involving the "poisoning" the the city's water supply with an induced hallucogen. The final action sequence bored me, since I was much more captivated by the unraveling insight into the Bat's persona.
The movie ranks right up there with X2, Superman and Spiderman 2 as one of the better superhero movies ever made.
9/10