Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Beginning something great
As a lifelong Batman fan, I tend to be very critical of any attempts at filmed adaptations of the character. In the case of Batman Begins, there is little to criticize, which coming from me is high praise.Here we see Gotham City as a quasi-realistic urban jungle in which organized crime has taken over. Having suffered a 'Depression,' Gotham has never recovered. Most of the police force is under the influence of mob boss Carmine Falcone, played with gusto by Tom Hutchison. Bruce, Alfred, Gordon, and few others believe that there is hope. Batman emerges as that hope in the second act of the film. We see him as human, which is crucial in relating to the character. He makes mistakes. His 'toys' are explained very nicely. And at the end of the film we want to see him continue. Speaking of which, wait for the excellent sequel set-up.The story matches the tone of several comic book stories of the last 19 or so years, most notably the work of Frank Miller. Here we see Christian Bale as a very focused, obsessed, determined Bruce Wayne, who blossoms into the weird and scary Batman. It is Bale who really makes this movie work. He fleshes out the many aspects of Bruce Wayne: the playboy act, the driven kid who sees vengeance robbed from under him, and the guy who finds satisfaction in thwarting the criminal element. Michael Caine is stunning as Alfred, Morgan Freeman is a breezy pleasure as engineer genius Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman gives a note-perfect performance as Jim Gordon, and Cillian Murphy is just creepy as Crane/Scarecrow. Rounding out the cast is Liam Neeson, whose performance is more complicated, but he certainly does a commendable job.From production design to acting to script to direction, this is a great, fun film! The Batmobile gets a bizarre but cool redo; we see the cave as a realistic, dank hideaway, and the suit gets a decent explanation. On film, Batman doesn't get much better than this!Here's hoping that Batman Continues! Final Grade: A+