Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
The movie Bat-fans have been waiting for.
I became a fan of the Dark Knight following Frank Miller's genius "The Dark Knight Returns" in the mid-80s. I loved the reinvention of the character, making him darker, brooding, and bordering on psychotic. It was this reinvention that most likely allowed the making of the original Batman movie, as well as its 3 successors. However, I found myself dissecting each of those movies as I exited the theater, feeling dissatisfied with each.After four previous attempts, two of them bordering on catastrophic, Hollywood has finally gotten it right. This is not your big brother's Batman.Director Christopher Nolan has stripped away all the flash from the previous two movies, making Gotham City appear to be more like an enormous amusement park, and made it the gritty, murky urban sprawl that Batman fans have come to embrace as the home of Bruce Wayne. We also get much more of a feel as to why Wayne is so tortured and driven to do what he does for the city. The character of Bruce Wayne is the focus of this movie, whereas the villains have been the focus of the previous movies. We learn why Wayne is so tortured, and how deep his psyche is scarred. Story holes are plugged that were left gaping in previous efforts. In time, I believe that Christian Bale will replace Michael Keaton as the general consensus favorite in the role of the Guardian of Gotham, as he truly puts the Dark in Dark Knight.Perhaps the best part of this edition of the Batman series is the long overdue establishment of the relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon, a police sergeant in this early stage of the legend. In previous movies, the character of Gordon was all but made irrelevant, and in some cases, a buffoon. Gordon is not only a tough cop, but is the only member of the police force that Batman will allow to get close to him. That element is presented flawlessly here.The acting is better than your average comic book flick. Christian Bale captures perfectly the brood of Batman, as well as the careless, playboy persona of Bruce Wayne. Katie Holmes does a good job in shedding her "Dawson's Creek" image, and handles the character of Rachael Dawes well. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and the rest of the support cast turn in worthy performances in their respective roles. The plot is thicker than previous efforts, and the villains' role in said plot is far from insulting to the intelligence of even a casual Bat-fan.While this movie has plenty of bangs for the buck, it does not feel like a gratuitous effort. Each special effect has a meaning, and if this movie's intent was to wipe the slate clean, and offer an apology for the previous four Batman movies, then mission accomplished. This is a comic book movie that does not present itself as a comic book movie. Each character and story element is believable, and I sincerely hope that the key elements from this project will be back for a sequel in a few years. If you're a fan of the comic, you will thoroughly enjoy this effort. If you aren't a fan of the comic, you just might be after viewing Batman Begins.