The Way It Should Be.

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2007)

Geez, what on earth took them so long? After the campy Adam West TV series, the Tim Burton Gothic flicks and Joel Schumacher's nippled Dark Knight, the real Batman has finally arrived. In Batman Begins the Caped Crusader finally becomes the brooding hero he was meant to be. It traces back to his origin, as young Bruce Wayne, the only son of his billionaire father, who witnesses his parents die to the hands of a mugger, and swears to uphold justice by 'turning fear against those who prey on the fearful'. However his journey towards becoming a vigilante is not as simple as that. Unlike the original Batman where we're shown pearl beads dancing on the floor that inspired a rich kid to don a suit and fight evil, this Bruce Wayne had a strenuous journey learning the difference between vengeance and upholding justice. He must also confront his fears and decide on his own ideology.
This is probably the first time I've enjoyed seeing Bruce Wayne more than Batman. It was compelling seeing him develop, as he studies the mind of a criminal and, being human, sometimes questions even himself. Fortunately there's his trusty butler Alfred on his side, who instead of just serving him steak, assumes the role of a fatherly figure. There's also the up and rising cop in Jim Gordon, in his early days as a sergeant, posing as Batman's only ally at this point in time.
Chris Nolan does again what he do best; playing with the scene sequence. Although this time he only uses that style for the first half of the film, alternating Wayne's training scenes with his childhood memories, it did nothing except enhancing the whole story-telling process. The heavyweight cast live up to their names. Christian Bale does a great job as Bruce Wayne, excellently portraying his transition from a troubled young man to a profound, philosophical individual. Batman, on the other hand, is a cold and menacing figure who's rough voice(that was heavily under criticism) I felt was appropriate, considering that his priority was disguise and also to scare the living daylights out of criminals. For the rest of the cast, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman looked like they came right out of the comic books, and then there's also Morgan Freeman and Rutger Hauer, making a surprise return to mainstream cinema.
Begins sets a new standard for dark comic book films. If Spider-Man 2 is considered one of the best superhero movies in the 'fun' category, then Batman Begins would undoubtedly be on the other end of the spectrum, the prime example of how a serious comic book adaptation should be.
I'm glad to say that they've finally got it right. For the first time in film history, The Dark Knight is portrayed correctly. The Batman franchise didn't reboot; it has only just begun.