Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 4.0
FINALLY, a film that does Batman justice!
Batman gets a bad rap in comics and movies as a supposedly "dark" hero. But really, like the criminal elements he haunts, so many people have missed the point. Batman is not dark. He's about justice, helping people, protecting the innocent, and stopping the guilty. His dark image is just how he chooses to become a larger than life "supernatural" force against crime, but it's merely a tool to fight evil. Anyone who misses that doesn't understand Batman at all.I HATED Tim Burton's Batman interpretations. To begin with, the bad guys were more important than Batman. True, they're complex characters and a lot of fun to watch, but the movies did a lousy job of that, too. A bunch of loonies running around in funny costumes is not what superheroes are about.This film understands that. It begins slow, presenting a very real, very damaged Gotham City. The same could be said for Bruce Wayne. His development from spoiled richboy to force of justice is both believable and larger than life. A very neat trick.The cast is perfect, especially Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon who finally gets to be the good cop he never got to be in the TV or movies. And the script solid. The only bad thing about it (-1 star) is the clumsy action scenes, which can be difficult to follow. Still, a great rendition that I was overjoyed to finally see made.