Batman Reboot Scores Big Time

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2013)

We all know that the reason that movie studios sanction reboots and sequels upon sequels is to make as much money off of a franchise as possible. But the question regarding reboots is does this movie improve on the previous ones? Are there technological advances worth exploring? Is there a new angle or wrinkle to the story that's worth telling? In other words, is there a LEGITIMATE reason to make this movie at all? After seeing Batman Begins, my answer is a definite YES.
In spite of the departure from the original story (among other changes Batman was never a Ninja in the original comics, and he invented all his gadgets himself), this edition of Batman is far superior to any of its predecessors, including the first Tim Burton Batman (which up until this one had been my favorite by far). The reasons start with the actors, and boy are there some good ones here, playing interesting and compelling characters I cared about. There's Christian Bale, who is the best Bruce Wayne/Batman ever to grace the big screen. Bale's version is definitely more overtly angry and obsessed than in previous Batman films, but at the same time is truly heroic. Michael Caine performs with his usual understated brilliance as Alfred, the loyal servant who essentially raised Bruce after his parents were murdered. Liam Neeson, one of the finest actors of his generation, turns in another stellar performance, this time as (spoiler alert) main villain Ducard aka Ra's Al Ghul. Morgan Freeman turns in a terrific performance as Lucius Fox, the inventor at Wayne Enterprises behind most of Batman's cool toys (Fox is such a strong character I can live with the change from the original story). Cillian Murphy is creepy as the other main villain, Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, who uses a weaponized panic- inducing drug to drive his enemies insane. Katie Holmes does as well as she can with the one really annoying character in this movie, Bruce's childhood friend/love interest Rachel Dawes (the fact that Katie is such a cutie doesn't hurt). Gary Oldman, another actor's actor, is flawless as Sgt (and future commissioner) Jim Gordon, one good cop in a sea of corrupt ones.
Speaking of corrupt, this version of Gotham City is like 1930 Chicago, a sewer of a city run essentially by a crime boss named Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), with everyone from police to judges and city officials on his payroll. Bruce, obsessed with the murder of his parents and driven to be a crusader against evil, has gone to the far east to learn about the criminal underworld and work on his fighting skills. It is there that he meets Ducard, who convinces Bruce to train to be a Ninja with the League of Shadows. Problem is, Bruce comes to find out that the League plans to deal with the crime ridden Gotham City by destroying it. Bruce escapes and burns their compound down, subsequently heading home to rid Gotham of crime his way. Little does he know that the League has already been busy prepping for Gotham's destruction, using Falcone to sneak in the panic inducing drug used by Crane, surreptitiously adding it to Gotham's water supply.
The effects and gadgets in this movie are amazing. OK, it took me a while to get used to this version of the batmobile, which is called a "tumbler" and looks like a tank (appearance-wise nothing could look cooler than the batmobile in Burton's two movies). Notwithstanding, the tumbler is loaded with all kinds of cool tricks, not the least of which is its ability to scale buildings and hop from rooftop to rooftop (Gordon, upon seeing it for the first time: Oh, I've GOTTA get me one of those!).
Christopher Nolan really pulled out all the stops in making Batman Begins a reboot truly worth seeing. The acting is superior, the characters are interesting and draw you in, the story is taut and imaginative, and the effects are nothing short of superb. This Batman is much more dark and grim even than Tim Burton's movies (which seem like black comedies by comparison), but it keeps you riveted from start to finish.