Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Dark and richly thematic
You have to at least like Batman to enjoy this, but if you hated the other Batman movies, you might enjoy this one. The story is intriguing with a few really good surprises. The action and dialogue is all directed toward advancing the plot and there is very little in the gratuitous eye-candy department - just enough special effects to pull the audience in.The theme of fear is powerfully developed in the movie in Bruce's character development. He uses his fear of bats, something we discovered in the first minutes of the film, to strike fear in the hearts of criminals. A minor theme placed in opposition to fear is that of hope - the good people of Gotham have hope in the face of the troubles of the city while the villians wish to use fear to destroy the city as a kind of "cleansing process".This film is incredibly casted and directed. I never would have believed Liam Neeson could do such a job in that type of role. Also I didn't even realize that Gordon was played by Gary Oldman until the end of the film. I wished we could have seen a little bit more of Morgan Freeman who was perfect as always in the role of a genius scientist who designs all of Batman's gadgets. But even amid these greats Christian Bale steals the movie with the most convincing Batman yet - brooding yet driven to action, living a dual existence yet focused in his mission.The friendship and tension between Bruce and Alfred, well-acted by Michael Caine, are both portrayed well as we are shown Bruce's coming of age as a rich orphan. His self-disdain and self-acceptance as an heir to a fortune are realistically demonstrated as part of the overall character development. If I have any complaint about the movie I'd say Katie Holmes performance, although passable, is somewhat ancillary to the rest of the plot and the film can't "decide" whether she is a heroine who can take care of herself with an electric stun gun or the obligatory female victim for the hero to save from danger.