Way better than expected- blows "Spiderman" away

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2005)

Went along expecting this to be similar to Spiderman, but obviously just darker. When we found a young Bruce Wayne up in the Himalyan Mountains studying traditional Martial Arts, it was clear this was going to be different.
Batman Begins takes us back, as the tile would suggest, to the early days of Batman. It shows us his childhood, beginning with how his parents died, and his teenage years that led him to become Batman. This part of the story is excellent, and we don't actually see Bruce get into costume for 30-40 minutes. He dons the costume when a threat hits the city in the form of a gas that makes people go coco bananas. He surrounds himself with some good people and some sweet gadgets and weapons.
A great, slightly creepy story supported by an excellent cast including Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy. Much respect to Bale though, who was outstanding and makes you wonder why his name isn't mentioned alongside the greats more. Probably because he's not a sell-out. I'm sure he wouldn't have done this movie if his sidekick was Christopher O'Donnell and Mr Freeze was in it.