Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Excellent re-birth of a hero
First of all, let me just say that the review entitled "I hate you people" is written by a person that simply doesn't quite know what he/she is or how to express their uniqueness in a way that isn't tired and boring. Lamenting the belief that "Batman Begins" is another barrage of Hollywood CGI whereas Burton's "Batman" was not is not accurate at all. This person needs to be reminded that Burton's "Batman" was a HUGE summer blockbuster popcorn flick for it's day (even more so than thte current movie) with Burton as the defacto "it" director of the time in Hollywood. So, put the two movies side by side and they're very, very similar.Aside from that, my personal view on this movie is that it is an excellent re-birth of the Batman series (hoping that more will follow, of course). Tim Burton's "Batman" was great for it's day and was just what us geeks were waiting for. Keaton and Nicholson were fantastic in their roles of Batman and Joker, respectively. In my opinion, no one will be able to match Jack as the Joker, but we'll see what may come for any future movies. They can't just throw in Jim Carrey as another reviewer suggested. They need an actor who can play a wickedly evil, yet perversely funny, villain and pull it off with flair. Let's leave Carrey as The Riddler as that fit him much better. It would be great to see, possibly, Mark Hamill in this role since he voiced the animated Joker so well.I usually tire of origin stories, but this one was outstanding. Following the same vein as "Spider-Man", Nolan shows us the very human, and very flawed, Bruce Wayne and his agonizing journey of self-realization after his parents' deaths. I was drawn into the story and understood in a more vibrant way than ever before of why Bruce became the Batman. His emergence of the hero we all know and love was great to see; from how he got many of his gadgets and the Batmobile, to how he and Alfred had to come up with sneaky ways to order the bits and pieces of his costume.With the exception of Katie Holmes, whom I personally don't care too much for, all of the other actors were great choices for their roles. Morgan Freeman was excellent and should have had more screen time. Gary Oldman portrayed Gordon in a very honest and caring way that made me appreciate him as an actor and Gordon as a character. Michael Caine, of course, was absolutely fabulous and embraced Alfred as his own.The one thing that initially concerned me before the movie came out was the new Batmobile. I literally groaned, "Oh, no. Not that, please." But I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Where I once hated it, I now love it and it's perfect for this storyline. If Bruce gets his gadgets from unused government contract prototypes, why not his car?Bottom line . . .Blockbuster action flick? Absolutely! But one done very well with an excellent storyline and great actors.Overloaded with CGI? I don't see that at all. Hardly any CGI that I remember.My wife, who normally doesn't care for superhero/action type films, really liked this movie.