Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Batman Begins Again
Christopher Nolan single-handedly demolishes the 80's and 90's Batman movies by re-imagining The Dark Knight from the ground-up. He assembled a first rate cast, with every member at a perfect pitch. Christian Bale is spot on as the troubled billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. When you view the series, it has always been how the actors play Bruce as the straightman, and not as a caped crime fighter. Michael Keaton was terrific in his fashion, while I was always of the opinion that Val Kilmer was the smoothest of the bunch and George Clooney could have been perfect had he not been saddled with the horrific script dumped off as "Batman And Robin."More to the point is that the supporting cast also carries through on their characters. Of particular note are Liam Neeson as Ducard and Gary Oldham, almost unrecognizable as (not quite Commissioner) Jim Gordon. There's enough light moments in the script to match the darkness, and Morgan Freeman's inventions make for good action.The reason I picked this set up, however, was the special booklet. With three stories to choose from, it is a load of fun. One is from 1989, the second is the Bob Kane introduction from 1939 Detective Comics, and the third an introductory chapter from "The Long Halloween." It made the extra bucks (and the five star rating) worth adding on.