Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Dark and gritty perfection
"Batman Begins" is Christopher Nolan's version of how Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) became Batman. It explains how his parents were killed, his fear of bats, and some of the extremities he went through with some of his training; along with every other personal and physical obstacle Bruce must face on the way to finally becoming The Dark Knight. Gotham City is dying since guys like Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) are able to get away with just about anything because "he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared," as Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) would put it.Bruce Wayne trains with Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), the right hand of Ra's Al Ghul, and The League of Shadows before things turn ugly. The League of Shadows believes in justice, but doesn't think people who have committed such crimes deserve to live while Bruce Wayne believes in compassion and thinks criminals should have a fair trial before passing judgement. Leaving The League of Shadows in shambles, Bruce Wayne makes his way back to Gotham after a seven year absence. As Bruce Wayne said, "As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol...as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting." This is the story of Batman's uprising and the criminals he encounters along the way.This is the beginning of the best version of Batman to hit the silver screen, boys and girls. Tim Burton's original film is really the only competition, but "Batman Begins" surpasses Burton's "Batman" in almost every way. This film has a lot of strengths that start with the storyline. It doesn't stray too far away from Batman classics like "Year One" and is just as dark in tone. The screenplay is also incredibly well-written as the dialogue feels natural and everything takes place in realistic fashion. The acting is very impressive as the main cast is filled with excellent actors; Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Rutger Hauer, and Ken Watanabe. This cast is beyond ridiculous if you stop to think about it.With films like "28 Days Later", "Sunshine," and the Christopher Nolan directed "Inception" under his belt, Cillian Murphy should be on your radar of actors you should always keep your ear to the ground for. He makes the most of his screen time as nearly every one of his scenes is memorable in some way or another. Liam Neeson isn't so much under-utilized anymore as much as he's underappreciated. The Henri Ducard character is a fascinating one whose enigmatic personality unravels more and more as the film progresses. Gary Oldman, who is perhaps one of the greatest actors to never win an Oscar, is just as fantastic as ever. How rare is it that the supporting cast is just as strong as the lead actors in any film? That's something Christopher Nolan is always able to accomplish.The impressive cinematography is also something to take note of. The film mostly takes full advantage of the darkness as Batman is always utilizing the shadows to fight crime, but it only makes the sudden shifts to color that much more sharp and vibrant. The camera being in Batman's face as he tells Flass (Mark Boone Junior) to, "Swear to me!" in the rain is so memorable thanks to how it's filmed as is every time Jonathan Crane puts on his mask and uses his fear toxin.If there is one Batman film anyone should see, this is it. It's a superhero film with a dark tone that's very well-written with nothing but incredible actors involved. In a world where most movies these days are usually either remakes or films that are made as quickly as possible to cash in on the latest trend in Hollywood, a reboot that is not only worthy of your time but tends to make you forget about every other version that came before it says quite a bit. If there was one film that could change someone's mind about disliking the Batman character, then this would be it. This is a good enough film to stand on its own regardless of how the viewer feels about Batman going into it.