Batman Begins is perfect film-making

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2005)

I didn't know what to expect going into Batman Begins. The last two incarnations of the Dark Knight have been awful at best and I was skeptical about the new approach to the series.
I'm a fan of Tim Burton's Batman films. For a long time I've been one of those fans who hated the rotating actors in each movie and thought Michael Keaton would never be defeated as the best Batman. I was also weary about director Chris Nolan starting the series from scratch, ignoring the previous versions of Batman. I thought, "if they move on to other villains in future films, how could anyone do the Joker better than Jack Nicholson?" I was completely wrong, and now I can't wait to find out.
Simply put, Batman Begins is not just a great summer movie, but a stellar piece of film-making from a great director and an extremely talented cast. Nearly every aspect of this movie is a 10, from Nolan's directorial style, to the acting from Christian Bale as Batman, to the sweeping score and the dark, engaging cinematography.
The entire cast shines here, even Katie Holmes for the most part, although she still has her "I'm reading off of a cue-card" moments. Bale is easily the best Batman ever, something I thought I would never be able to say. This is a function of the well-detailed script as much as his acting chops, which aren't too shabby in their own right. Just watch him in his disturbing turn in the "The Machinist" and you'll see how he can take on any character and embody it. He does a wonderful job balancing the difference personalities of Batman: a lost man determined to get revenge for the death of his parents, the Dark Knight who is worried about saving the people and the city of Gotham, and the playboy Bruce Wayne persona he must put on for the public.
The supporting characters all play their roles perfectly, most notably Michael Caine as Alfred. In this film, Caine plays the role of the supportive butler well, but with a certain edge to it. More so than Michael Gough's version of the character in 1989, this Alfred isn't afraid to put Bruce in his place from time to time and steer him in the right direction.
Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy are great in their villain roles, Neeson as the ninja master who trains Bruce Wayne and eventually turns on him, Murphy a psychiatrist who seems to be a little nutty in his own right. We eventually come to know him as The Scarcrow, and the scenes where he uses his mind-altering gas are the best in the film, especially when Batman gives him a taste of his own medicine. Tom Wilkinson and Morgan Freeman are expectedly excellent in their roles as well. Freeman is there for the comic relief here and his scenes are a nice break in the action. The movie really starts to hit its stride when Bruce finally begins his contact with Freeman's "Lucius Fox," who is responsible for his gadgets and Batmobile.
The difference between the villains in this film as opposed to earlier Batman movies is that Batman is the central character in "Begins". In the earlier Batman films, we had over-the-top, campy villains who had 90% of the screen-time. Batman was just an afterthought. Here, we learn about Batman's deep past and his internal struggles as he tries to save Gotham from the criminals hell-bent on destroying it. There is much more depth to this Batman and we identify with him more. Don't get me wrong, I loved Nicholson's "Joker" and Carrey's "Riddler," but the movie is called Batman for a reason. It should be about his story first and foremost and Batman Begins gets it right.
There were some moments that fell a little short, mainly the presence of a few too many one liners, especially during the first chase scene in the Batmobile. Overall, though, I don't think they took away from the effectiveness of this film, the best I have seen this year by far.
If you've seen the movie, you know about the foreshadowing for the sequel to Batman Begins, which was a great way to end the film. Let me just say how excited I am for this to become reality. No more rotating Batman's or directors (Both Nolan and Bale are signed for three films). However, I think it's going to be hard for the average moviegoer to get the other Batman movies out of their head, especially next time around. Hopefully people will realize they are starting a new series from scratch here and going in a completely different direction. By the time the next Batman movie comes out it will be almost 20 years since the original in 1989. If people can separate this new series from the old one, this could be one of the most successful and beautifully done franchises ever.