Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
The origin of the best superhero in hi def!!
I like Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. They are dark, funny, sexy, and work great as comic book adaptations. Then of course Schumacher's Batman Forever and Batman & Robin derailed completely the franchise. A new reboot was necessary but I don't think anyone was prepared to see how Batman's return to the big screen was going to be that spellbinding in the hands of the gifted director Christopher Nolan.Batman Begins takes the hero to its origins in a most realistic, dark way. Bruce Wayne is not a perfect hero, he is driven by sorrow, anger, fear and desire of revenge and we see his struggle to overcome this in order to become Batman. Christian Bale is perfect as the tortured Wayne and also as the no-nosense Batman. What I like most about this film is how Nolan and Goyer were able to give Bruce Wayne the same weight as Batman and give him enough room to develop the character. Also, Bale is surrounded by an extraordinary supporting cast composed by Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Katie Holmes.This film is not full of big action sequences or special effects. This is a much human and realistic portrait of an amazing character that slowly builds the foundation of future Batman films. A spectacular reboot.Video & Audio:BB has a solid but flawed video presentation. It's not bad and is superior to the SD DVD but it's not demo quality as The Dark Knight. Some night scenes look crushed and there is softness in some scenes. Still it offers balanced colors and there are not compression artifacts to see.The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD is also great but it's not spectacular.Bonus Features:BB comes with some special features that include a PIP commentary, many featurettes which delves with the creation of Gotham, the cast, the action sequences, the special effects and more and the Imax Prologue of TDK. There is a great assortment of bonus material that will keep you engaged and entertained.Closing Thoughts:Batman Begins is the best origin movie for a superhero and the second best Batman movie (behind its sequel), its has a great story, a compelling hero and amazing supporting characters that make this film to stand above the usual hero films. Warner's BD is not perfect but its not awful and it has many insightful featurettes to keep you interested Recommended!!!