Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Batman at his best!
This is the "Batman" film I've long waited to see. While I did like Tim Burton's vision in 1989's "Batman", I still thought certain elements were missing that I really loved from the "Tales of the Dark Night" comic book series. By the time Joel Schumacher completely turned the film series into a perverted, campy gay parody, it was obvious that Warner Brothers simply can't be trusted with any superhero franchise (as they also ruined the "Superman" movies after the second one). If it weren't for the astronomical grosses of "Spiderman" and its sequel, "X-Men" and its sequel of the rival Comic Book company and movie studios, I'm certain that "Batman" would never have been "rebooted".My hopes were raised when I heard that Director Chris Nolan and actor Christian Bale were attached to the project. Christian Bale fits my image of Bruce Wayne. Certainly more than Michael Keaton anyway. The trailers then impressed me into seeing this film and when I finally did see it, I was simply awestruck that someone managed to make the perfect Batman film, finally!This is not a film for the children. One moviegoer walked out with two children in tow an hour into the film. This movie was made for the adult fans of the comic book...not those who love the campy 60s TV show or the Joel Schumacher parodies. For once, I wanted to see a Batman film that focused on Bruce Wayne/Batman and not the villains and this one is it. We don't even see the appearance of Batman until halfway through. For the first hour we get a fuller understanding of Bruce Wayne, his childhood tragedy, how his fear of bats leads to a guilty complex regarding his parents murder, and his soul searching to the mountains of Tibet. This is a very deep, profound, spiritual beginning and provides the most picture of Bruce Wayne yet, helping people understand the kind of person who would spend his nights dressed as a bat going after criminals.In Tibet, he receives special training from a mysterious Ducard, played by Qui-Gon Jinn himself, Liam Neeson. Wayne learns about the tactics of a vigilante group who operate in the shadows of society. There is a disagreement over the use of violence/vengeance, causing Wayne to part company in cool style and return to Gotham after a 7 year absence. The corruption of the city politicians wakes him up from the naive idealism his parents had instilled in him. Such a privileged life he led, where he thought money could help defeat poverty and crime. He learns otherwise and thus in one uniquely spiritual scene, when Bruce Wayne achieves "oneness" with a flurry of bats, we see the transformation. Batman is born!Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow is an excellent villain, using a vaporized drug mist to induce psychotic episodes in people. While this plot might seem a bit of a stretch for a straight foward, dramatic film, it works in "Batman Begins" because that's what generally happens in comic books. In comparison to the motives of the previous line of whacked out villains of the four "Batman" films, this one with the Scarecrow is the most realistic and plausible. I saw many allusions to the 2001 Anthrax attacks, so this plot worked. The entire premise of the film is the use of fear to control oneself and others...which is very relevant to today's world.Nolan's Gotham City looks exactly as I had imagined it from the many "Batman" comic books I've read as a teenager/young adult. More than Tim Burton's or Joel Schumacher's version, this Gotham looks liveable and realistic (a cross between Chicago and New York City). I also liked that Arkham Asylum was featured, as that hospital for the insane is well featured in the darker Batman comic books. There are underpinnings of psychology and insanity running through the entire comic series, so a Batman film simply isn't the same without Arkham Asylum looming in the background, foreground or anywhere else.By the film's end, we get a hint of things to come (much like the ending of "Spiderman 2"), which isn't bad. It might not be a "satisfying conclusion" for some people, but if this film makes enough money, a sequel is guaranteed. However, even though this is by far the best Batman film ever made, its dark vision and loyalty to the comic book might not go over well with parents who bring their children expecting the bright zaniness/cartoonish quality of the Joel Schumacher films. This film is the complete opposite of Schumacher's two films and that is a good thing. I believe that Schumacher is the person responsible for ruining the franchise and I'm glad Warner Brothers Studios had the good sense to wait 8 years and trust a director with "indie cred" to give TRUE Batman fans the film we have waited decades to see. This is that film. I even like it better than "Spiderman" 1 and 2, which is saying A LOT. I hope for the next "Batman" film, if they feature the Joker, that they base the story on what I consider the greatest Comic Book episode ever created: "The Killing Joke". That would make an awesome film!