Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
A Clever and Faithful Reworking of the Legend of Batman
This review is spoiler-free,I have to admit that going into theaters, I had my doubts. Christopher Nolan, the director, was primarily known for the exceedingly clever Memento. A Batman movie would require this new director to flex muscles he hadn't yet displayed. My worries were misplaced; the cleverness displayed in Memento translated well to Batman. This is easily the best Batman movie yet.The first two Batmans were well received and are loved by many. The tone is unrelentingly dark for the most part. These two never really did it for me....I could never buy Michael Keaton as Batman....he didn't seem large or menacing enough to wear the mantle of the Dark Knight.The 3rd movie, Batman Forever, was a dramatic departure from the first two. It featured a far more campy atmosphere. Still, the cast handled the script well, and in my opinion, it worked reasonably well.Batman and Robin was certainly the stinker of the group. Clooney, Silverstone, and others tromped their way through a script that must have been difficult even for them to stomach. Additional problems included moronic looking bat-vehicles and the reduction of Bane to "minor house pet".Up until now, the Batman movies had failed to do several things:1. Put forth a really credible "man under the mask"- Kilmer got the closest (some say Keaton), but none were perfect.2. Find the balance between darkness and humor.3. Credibly explore the factors within Batman's dark psyche.Batman Begins manages to accomplish all of the above. The movie is dark, but tinges of humor are interlaced throughout.Cast/Acting: Batman Begins has a huge cast of A-list names. Sometimes, movies so jam-packed with names fail miserably. Surprisingly, the movie juggles all of the characters so well that none of them feel under-utilized. Michael Caine makes a great Alfred, if more serious than I expected. Gary Oldman looks the part of Gordon and as usual, handles his role with care. Ken Watanabe and Cilian Murphy play very convincing villains...Murphy, in particular, is very fun to watch. Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman are very welcome additions to the cast and provide some of the film's best moments. The weakest link is Katie Holmes, who acts here just like she does in everything else. Finally, Christian Bale is far and away the best man to don the Batman uniform. He plays both Batman and Bruce so effortlessly that I hope he will get the opportunity to do so again.Plot: Superhero movies always have to walk the fine line of respecting the source material while making it accessible to audiences and conforming it to a cinematic format. Sometimes this means making the material more politically correct; others times, important details are left out for money or time reasons. I can't say I've read many of the Batman comics, but I'm very familiar with both Batman and his villains thanks to Batman: The Animated Series and other sources. Batman Begins stays true to the Batman character while providing further depth than I've seen elsewhere. The large cast accomodates a large number of relationships that define who both Bruce and Batman are. The pacing is perfect, and the first part of the movie provides very believable background for exactly and practically how Batman became Batman. Unlike other origin stories, this part of the movie manages to be every bit as enthralling as the rest. The entire story simply feels so much more multi-layered than any of the previous Batman movies. Batman Begins is both a character study and, in my opinion, a superhero epic. The legend of Batman is handled carefully, with respect for long-time fans.Music: I'm a big fan of movie scores, and I wasn't dissappointed here. I wasn't in the slightest bit surprised when, in the credits, I saw the names Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Howard contributes the beautiful quiet themes while Zimmer contributes the powerful themes he's so well known for. Together, the two composers take the pacing of an already fantastic movie to another level.I hardly imagined that this movie would turn out as well as it did; I should have known that Director Chris Nolan would pull through. I'm leaving some things unsaid because they are better experienced as a viewer. In conclusion, I can only hope that the same forces that came together to create this movie will bring us a sequel. Batman Begins and returns, indeed!