Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
...I shall become a Bat.
Finally, an installment to the Batman film franchise that takes seriously the idea of what the graphic novels of Frank Miller and Alan Moore had in mind. When this originally was released in the theatre, folks asked me what I thought, and I told them that by comparison, the previous 4 movies WERE comic-book compared to this - a graphic novel on screen, quite literally. This is the perfect vision of what The Batman is designed to be: DARK. How Bruce Wayne as a character is meant to be portrayed - the rich playboy on the outside, and a benevolent monster on the inside, something those closest to him would ever see. How Gotham is portrayed - very gritty, very dangerous, and made to look very real.The story is basically a marriage between a few different graphic novels, respectfully "Year One" by Frank Miller and "A Long Halloween" by Alan Moore, and it works quite well. The only difference in origin was the part when Wayne was a boy, which if you're not a die-hard fan, makes no difference (that is - in 'Begins' the theatre event they go to is an opera, and in the actual origin it's a Zorro movie, but probably due to copywrights they couldn't expound on this). The plot line is brilliant in that it covers several neccessary points such as how he is inspired by the bat, how he gets some of his training as well as his evading the police. Well done indeed. The way this is filmed is remarkably different too. Even with the Burton films, you see a well-groomed set, but here's where 'Begins' stands apart from all the other four films. It's filmed in such a way that it makes everything look HUGE, which is what Brian Singer took notice of when he directed Superman Returns. Go figure. The environment you see them working with isn't just an obvious set, it looks completely real. Too real, if you've ever been to NYC or Chicago. All in all, if you want to see a serious film on Batman, this is the one. Ignore the other 4 unless you're showing them to your younger children. This one is much darker and more for an adult to be able to comprehend and relate to. There is now word there is going to be 2 more sequels in the works to boot. Currently, no titles yet, but thus far, everyone that was in this, save for a few faces, are, in fact, contracted for the next 2 films as well. They involve the joker & Two-face, and they are going to be even more gritty & gruesome than this film. Finally, the Batman franchise grows up and is something to be taken seriously now. I look forward to see what else happens in this version of Gotham...