Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
A Successful Resurrection of the "Batman" Film Franchise
When the fourth film to feature D.C. Comics' character "Batman" was unveiled in 1997 (entitled "Batman and Robin"), it certainly seemed that the "Batman" film franchise had forever died as it was an atrocious film. When announcements were made public that a new "Batman" film would be released in 2005 (entitled "Batman Begins"), I certainly had my doubts that the film would be good following the 1997 disaster. However, director and co-writer Christopher Nolan, who directed and co-wrote the Oscar-nominated film "Memento" in 2000, has happily proven my doubts wrong. "Batman Begins" is, in my opinion, the best "Batman" film ever produced thanks to a combination of superb direction, wonderful acting and an engaging story.Beginning when Bruce Wayne is only eight years old (played by Gus Lewis), Bruce accidentally falls into a pit on the very wealthy Wayne Manor. He is rescued by his father Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache), who is a philanthropist that prefers to let others manage Wayne Enterprises, but Bruce's experience and memories of being in the pit torment him into his adult years with horrifying dreams of the bats that inhabit the pit and its adjoining cave. It is not long after his rescue that he attends an opera with his father and mother (Sara Stewart). When performers dressed in black remind him of the bats, he urges his parents to leave, which they do with him through a back door into an adjoining alley. There, a petty thief kills Bruce's parents: an act that, like the bats, will haunt Bruce into his adult years. It is also on that horrific night that Bruce first meets a Gotham City police officer by the name of Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). With Wayne Enterprises under the watchful eye of Earle (Rutger Hauer), the Wayne family butler Alfred (Michael Caine) takes on the responsibility of raising Bruce. As an adult still haunted by bats and the murder of his parents, Bruce (Christian Bale) attempts to understand the criminal mind by disappearing and living as a petty thief himself. Arrested in Asia, he is discovered by an unusual man named Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) that offers him a better alternative to coming to terms with his past and his fears. Released from prison, Bruce travels to a distant and highly secretive monastery where he is directed to pick a blue flower. He does so and is accepted by the monastery's leader named Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe). There, Bruce learns various martial arts techniques and slowly comes to terms with his fears, but when he is asked by Ra's Al Ghul to carry out deeds that would grant him full status in the monastery's shadowy group, he refuses. This refusal and the subsequent actions alienate Bruce from the shadowy group, so he returns to Wayne Manor. However, having overcome his fears, Bruce returns to the pit and finds the adjoining bat-infested cave and decides that like his father who helped Gotham City, it is his duty to help rid Gotham City of the crime and corruption that dominates it at every conceivable level; but can he? You'll just have to watch this exciting film to find out!With its stark realism, attention to detail, dark cinematography, wonderful cast, collage of interesting characters and plot twists, "Batman Begins" is sure to keep its audience entertained and fully engaged with its 141 minutes. Other wonderfully portrayed characters include the godfather-like criminal leader Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), former Wayne Enterprise board member Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), attorney and long-time friend of Bruce named Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and the corrupt psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy). Overall, I rate "Batman Begins" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.