Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Finally, a reason to go back to the movie theater
Thinking about it now, I consider myself to be very lucky. I was a member of an entire generation whose first introduction to Batman was Tim Burton's stylistic 1989 film. The only Batman I knew when growing up was Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns" and in the weekday afternoon cartoon, "Batman: The Animated Series." Not a bad place to start, almost a bit spoiled, perhaps.Taking this introduction to Batman into account, I believe that's why so many of us felt betrayed by Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" and especially by "Batman & Robin." With these two movies, Batman suddenly became corny, a joke, and had lost his edge. Many older than my generation understood it was a throwback to the '60s, but for me and everyone else that grew up on Batman from the late '80s and early '90s, it was sacrilege.However, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to announced that the Bat-nipples are gone and, at long last, we have the best on-screen incarnation of Bruce Wayne and The Dark Knight. I suppose I could go all nit-picky and nerdy and get into those phrases like "it didn't happen that way in the comics, mwwaahh!," but that's not my style. Just as Tim Burton's take on Batman was not 100% true to original creator Bob Kane, Christopher Nolan's is not either. After all, where would the fun be in a word-for-word, shot-for-shot big screen adaptation without a little personal vision?Nowadays, getting a little older and a little wiser, I have become even more scrutinizing with how I spend my free time and which movies I drop $8.00+ bucks on. For me, the summer movie event was not Star Wars, it was Batman. And it was the first movie in a long time that I went out of my way to see at midnight on opening day. And in my not-always humble opinion, it was worth it, from start to finish."Batman Begins" gives us the best movie version origins of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Taking into account the success Marvel Comics has had as of late with their big screen adaptations, including top-notch casting and infusing characters with more humanity, "Batman Begins" incorporates both and uses them to perfection. In no other Batman film have we received such a clear understanding of Bruce Wayne's suffering, his anguish, and excellent divide between the mask he wears and who he really is: Batman.Tim Burton's films were fantastic in their visual style and sense of adventure, but what lacked in my opinion was a clear understanding and compassion to our hero's cause. In "Batman Begins," it's more than just good guy versus bad guy; there's genuine conflict between the life Wayne wants and the Batman he needs to be.We are given a terrific tale of how Batman came to be. I enjoyed it because it gave us the intelligent, methodical, and brooding Batman who is the servant of justice, instead of the 'ka-pow,' wise-cracking cartoon.The casting is outstanding. In my opinion, Christian Bale is the best Batman, even though many of you will undoubtedly disagree. My reasoning is not just because he carries off the suit, but because he also gives life to Bruce Wayne, showing the conflict in carrying on between the two. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, and Liam Neeson: well done. And, yes, even Joey Potter herself, Katie Holmes, was very good.This, without giving too much away, leads me to another point. The subplots of Bruce Wayne's love life have always been more of a distraction for me than a positive. The only previous Batman film to not play up the damsel in distress role was "Batman Returns," but that was because she also happened to be criminally insane. Fortunately, Holmes' "Rachel Dawes" doesn't fall into the abyss of hapless on-screen females.This is the first movie in a long time that I will probably go back to see a second time in the theater. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I can't wait for Batman's return.