The Best cinematic Batman origin story!

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2019)

So, i have to admit. I first watched this film when i had literally just turned ten years old and didn't like it. I didn't appreciate it's value, not only for Nolan but for the character of Batman himself. Now, i did watch The Dark Knight about a week later and loved it. That film is my fourth favorite film of all time. I also really liked The Dark Knight Rises but my reviews for those two films will be coming soon. However, after re-watching it nearly four years later, i now love the film. I now appreciate it's importance for Batman and DC in general. I mean, after Burton introduced everyone to the actual Batman in 1989, the future of superhero films looked bright. Especially after what happened to the Superman franchise. An outstanding first movie which revolutionized superhero movies by showing people a serious film and not a 1960's Batman one. The sequel was still a great film and followup to it's predecessor. The third film however was so boring and forgettable with one good scene. And then the fourth. Superman 4 is my least favorite film of all time. So, Batman in 1989 gave people hope. Then the sequel was still a really good film with an amazing Catwoman. Then Burton and Michael Keaton (my favorite Batman) left and it took a turn for the worst. Schumacher joined and Val Kilmer played Batman in the third film. This is just like Superman 3. It's not a terrible film but it completely ruins what Burton had started. Then comes Batman and Robin. Widely considered as one of the worst films ever made. Everyone loses all faith in DC movies, Bob Kane (the creator of Batman) dies and Marvel jump in. Now, while DC were succeeding, Marvel nearly went bankrupt and failed to make it onto the big screen with films like Howard the Duck, Captain America and Fantastic Four all bombing. Once Batman and Robin had bombed, they released Blade a year later. This became a massive hit and two years later they released X-Men. This began the franchise and was also a big hit. Then two years after that, they released Spiderman. A character everybody knew and loved was finally on the big screen. This was a major hit. Marvel were doing so well and DC needed to do something. So they used Christopher Nolan to direct, a guy who had only made mystery thrillers up until that point with Memento and Insomnia, and Christian Bale to play Batman, a guy who was known for playing a serial killer. They got three big actors who you never would have thought would ever be in a superhero movie. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine. Oh yeah, and Liam Neeson. However, the film worked completely.
It's stunning cinematography, amazing soundtrack and great action scenes is just part of the reason why it works. Now although Michael Keaton is my favorite Batman, Christian Bale is my favorite Bruce Wayne. His performance is spectacular and is actually making me question whether Michael Keaton is my favorite Batman. His voice may be a bit too deep and could be quite laughable but he still embodies the character of Batman. Michael Caine plays a great Alfred while Morgan Freeman does well as Lucius Fox. Gary Oldman is amazing as Comissioner Gordon and no one will ever be able to outdo him. To me, he is James Gordon. Liam Neeson does an amazing performance and the scenes with him and Batman are the best.
The scenes where he teaches Bruce to be a ninja. The fight on the ice, the scene where he finally manages to become a ninja by outsmarting Neeson. Ra's al Ghul as well. Another great villain in the film. The scene where Bruce burns the place down and manages to stop him from falling off the mountain. Now when my mum watched that she said 'as if' and yes it is quite unrealistic but it still looks cool. However, my favorite scene is the fight on the train. When Bruce puts his no kill rule to use by saying "I won't kill you, but i don't have to save you.' That scene is guaranteed to give you goosebumps every time.
Now, one of the strongest and most impressive parts of the films is the villains. They have Henri, Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow and Carmine in the same film. Now this is where films like Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-man 2 failed. They try to have too many villains, each with different reasons for hating Spider-Man in the same film and they don't work. And their not even origin stories. However, Batman Begins uses a load of villains and they actually work. You feel that they are given enough screen time and none of them feel rushed. Now, I know Ra's al Ghul didn't really do or say much but for me, that's what makes him great. There is an essence of mystery and intrigue around him and i actually would've been down for a spin-off Ra's al Ghul origin story.
However, my favorite scenes in the entire film are the ones showing Bruce on the day his parents were killed. The scene where young Bruce falls into the hole and his dad is treated like an angel. The buildup to that shooting was perfect and the actor who played young Bruce is not given the credit he deserves. In fact, that might be my favorite superhero origin scene in movie history.
So yeah, Batman Begins is a great origin story with a strong cast, amazing cinematography and the predecessor to one of the greatest movies of all time. 9/10!