Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Rise of the Batman
Director Christopher Nolan (Memento & Insomnia) and star Christian Bale (The Machinist) resurrect the popular caped crusader in the remarkable summer blockbuster "Batman Begins". After the tragic loss of his parents, young Bruce Wayne (Bale) travels the world to understand the criminal underworld and learns the means to fight injustice. With a striking new disguise and some high-tech gadgets, his dark alter-ego Batman begins his quest to protect Gotham City from crime and corruption. "Batman Begins" is one of the finest comic book adaptations to hit the big screen. The movie avoids the colorful silliness and the bland one-liners that deteriorated the "Batman" franchise. This impressive comic book movie contains a well structured and engrossing plot, solid emotional depth, dazzling action sequences and fine performances. Christian Bale is certainly engaging as the emotionally tortured Bruce Wayne. The all-star cast also includes Liam Neeson, Michael Cane, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Ken Wantanabe and Morgan Freeman.If you already purchased "Batman Begins" on HD DVD then you might be disappointed that Blu-Ray holds no big surprises. "Batman Begins" is presented in its theatrical 2.40:1 widescreen format. The picture quality is the same as the previous HD DVD release but is still an excellent transfer. Its 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Dolby sound offers a great home theater experience. The special features are the same as in the previous 2-disc DVD and HD DVD versions. They include eight short behind-the-scenes featurettes that deeply explore the making of the 2005 blockbuster, a few picture galleries and its theatrical trailer. "Tankman Begins" is a funny spoof of the film that was broadcasted during the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. With such terrific presentation and worthy extras, "Batman Begins" gets a solid "A".