And at last a Proper Superhero Movie

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2008)

Batman is the most complex superhero I have ever come across. More complex than the Superman and Spider-man. Why? For the simple reason that he is a human being. He is not someone who has acquired super powers from some accident or has super powers because of where he comes from. He is simply a man with a troubled past, a past that leaves him with a strong desire and a will to use all the resources at his disposal to free the streets from thugs and criminals. At his disposal is money, lots of it, a skill set of martial art techniques, technology and the soundly advice of his caretaker Alfred.
After a series of movies either choosing to ignore the past of the Batman and merely showing one of his adventures or failing miserably to convince the audience of the deep motivation that Batman has to define the purpose of his life, we finally have a winner in the form of Batman Begins. And not too surprisingly, it comes from a brilliant man named Christopher Nolan who has done a wonderful job with the direction and the scripting of this movie.
Batman is a human being. Human beings make mistakes. Great human beings correct their mistakes. To show the limitations of Batman and yet paint him in the colors of heroism is a difficult task. This movie achieves it brilliantly. Christian Bale gets full credit for a wonderful portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
The whole structure of the Gotham city is convincing. In fact, every single thing in the new world of Gotham is convincing. Nothing is overdone or exaggerated. The special effects are controlled and used judiciously. The movie moves with a steady pace giving us the depth of the characters involved and yet not making us fall asleep. Not once! Overall, this is the precise kind of Superhero movie that I have been waiting for decades. Every movie has had demerits from my stand point. I simply could not enjoy the motion picture based on He-man, spider-man was not a complete package for me and neither was Superman Returns. But Batman Begins hits the right note. Cheers to the whole team!