Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
To Date, the Best Batman Ever
It used to be Michael Keaton's version that was the ultimate Batman for me: dark, brooding and troubled... until I saw "Batman Begins". Scrapping all previous Batman story lines, Christopher Nolan starts all over and brings a unique background to the Batman character - one that is more believable and convincing. The creation of Batman is laid out without patronizing the audience; the back-story is gritty and realistically (enough) explains how Bruce learned to do all his stunts and terror tricks. Nolan's treatment of Batman allows Bruce Wayne's true identity to be completed obscured, something other Batman actors didn't fully achieve. There are no comedic alter-ego slip ups in this version; Bruce Wayne has no bumbling moments that would cause anyone to suspect that he had a secretive heroic night-life.Additionally, while Keaton's, Val Kilmer's and George Clooney's Bruce Waynes were very obvious under the batman mask, Bale and Nolan created a twist by having Bruce Wayne distort his voice as well as hiding his face behind a much more concealing mask than previous Batman incarnations, enough so that you really can't tell it's the same person. The terror Bruce Wayne learned to instill in his opponents works impressively in this version, seen especially in Batman's first encounter, with the crooked cop, which is convincingly frightening ... with great lines.Fun elements are brought to the story by Lucius Fox, wonderfully played by Morgan Freeman, who works at Wayne Enterprises and supplies Batman with his arsenal of awesome military toys, my favorite of which is the new "bat mobile", which is probably the coolest tank ever created for the screen. It is a refreshing change from the outlandish and over-the-top batmobiles which worked just fine in the other films, but would simply be too cartoonish for this one.Many fans complained that the character of Bruce's best friend Rachel Dawes is the weak link in this film. I didn't mind her character so much, but felt she was rather under-used and not as strongly acted as she could have been. I saw the role of Rachel Dawes as a humanizing element that added some vulnerability to Bruce and Batman without being a shrieking damsel-in-distress like Vicky Vale was, or a desperate hero-chaser like Dr. Chase Meridian.Notable performances come from Michael Cain's Alfred, a capable man and lovable old friend, truly concerned for his master's well-being and not just a buffoon full of one-liners, Gary Oldman as the good-hearted office Gordon, and Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane, a sinister psychiatrist that never falls into the cackling, maniacal cartoon villain role. Liam Neeson's mysterious Henri Ducard even proves to be more than a two-dimensional character and there is a reason for all he does.Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard majestically reinvent the score, with no traces of the classic comic book hero march created by Danny Elfman, creating instead a pulsating, dark score with occasional rays of lightness.If the Joel Schumacher treatments (shudder) turned you off from the Batman series, you'll find this one will greatly surpass your expectations and may just become a favorite. Batman Begins is a wonderful blend of its comic book sources with realistic elements. It is slow to start, because it's starting over, but there's plenty of solid action, a great storyline and some witty and memorable dialog. This film is a gem in the Batman canon.