Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
A Beautiful Restart Of The Series
The last time Batman was seen on the silver screen, his suit had nipples, the Batmobile was shaped like a giant male sex organ, and he and his foes (including Arnold Schwarzenegger in a gigantic steel suit) were spouting out cheesy one liners that approached a level of stupidity not even reached in the campy 1960s' tv series.Shocked by the stunningly bad treatment of this classic character, critically acclaimed director Christopher Nolan and comic book fan David Goyer (who wrote the "Blade" films) joined forces to write "Batman Begins". Unlike the films of the previous series (event the Tim Burton films, which were excellent and are still my favorites), this one was to be faithful to the source material and show the true origins of the Dark Knight.And man does it ever. "Batman Begins" take you back - way back -to Bruce Wayne's origins. Tormented by the sight of his parents' murder as a child, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) goes on a journey to find himself. He winds up in an Asian prison, where he is found by the mysterious Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), who works for a secret organization known as the Leauge Of Shadows. There Bruce learns how to concquer his fears through strength and discipline. However, he soon learns that the Leauge are not all that it's cracked up to be, and he eludes them and returns to Gotham City. There, he is awaited by his trusted and loving butler Alfred (Michael Caine, perfectly cast) and his childfriend Rachel Dawes (a miscast Katie Holmes). He learns that Wayne Enterprises, the corporation his father started to help Gotham City has been taken over by sleazy business mogul Richard Eearle (Rutger Hauer, c'mon, you remember him). With the help of Alfred and outcast Wayne Enterprises ally Lucious Fox (Morgan Freeman, again perfectly cast), he adopts a new persona, a vengeful vigilante who uses his fear of bats to strike fear into the hearts of others. He becomes...Batman. And that's where the fun begins. He becomes allies with Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman, once again perfectly cast), one of Gotham's only good cops). With his help, he must take down the sinister Dr. Jonathan Crane (the creepy Cillian Murphy, who was awesome), aka Scarecrow, who plans to poison Gotham City with his fear gas. There's nonstop action mixed in with an incredibly well written plot that amounts to the best Batman movie in nearly 15 years.All in all, this film is excellent. The cast is perfect for the most part. Christian Bale makes for a great Batman and Bruce Wayne. He does just as good as Michael Keaton, but he also adds an edge to the role not scene before. Michael Caine brings the role of Alfred to life, as does Gary Oldman with Jim Gordon. In the previous franchise, these characters weren't given proper treatment. I didn't mind, but it's nice to see them finally get the respect they deserve. Neeson is excellent as Ducard, who wasn't actually a villian in the comics. He is extremely low key and very creepy. Freeman is excellent as Fox. In the comics, Fox was a pretty minor character, but Freeman makes the character very accesssible and thus the character is put to good use. Cillian Murphy was fantastic as The Scarecrow. He owned the part. Tom Wilkinson even pops up for a great cameo as crime boss Carmine Falcone. Katie Holmes, as I said earlier, was extremely miscast. She just wasn't able to hold her own against the film's other stars.The extras on the second disc are great, but the menu takes a while to navigate. I liked the comic book, too. Definitely a must see movie.