Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
4.5 Stars: Batman Rises from the Grave (some spoilers)
FINALLY! I had to get that out after watching two pieces of crap that called themselves Batman. Joel Schumacher's reign of terror is over and Christopher Nole has taken the helm of the Dark Knight's latest project, Batman Begins. A tremendous improvement (how could it be worse than Jim Carry stealing the scenes or George in a nippled Batsuit?) over the last two and even grabs some ground from the gothic creations of Tim Burton, the original Batman and Batman Returns.This story, like everyone knows, tells how Bruce Wayne went from the orphened son of a multi-billionare to the Dark Knight, avenging his parent's deaths and fighting crime in Gotham City. It begins in the Far East where Bruce learns how to disappear into the night and fight his enemies. While CNN found this a stupid beginning and too "Asian-martial artsy", I thought there was no better place to begin. I mean, Batman's entire technique is the night, a concept used by those steathy assassin/spies called ninjas. Also, you can't expect Batman to take boxing lessons to beat people up; no, you've gotta go martial arts for that.Moving along, Bruce returns to Gotham, transformed from a Corescant-like wonder of dazzling heights and glimmer into a dark, Blade Runner-like LA, topped off with a island housing the poor, criminally insane, and modeled after a destroyed Hong Kong slum. In Gotham, we get the beginnings of Batman from Lucius Fox, a former board member of Wayne Enterprises played by Morgan Freeman, and the butler Alfred, played by the wonderfully English Michael Caine. However, Batman will find his troubles in the psychologically minipulative Dr. Crane, played by sinister Cillian Murphy, also known as The Scarecrow for the mask he wears. Crane uses a hallucinogen that induces horrifying day-mares which render the victim helpless in their own fear.Speaking of fear, this movie uses psychological fear to a greater extent than any superhero movie, actually more than most movies, I've ever seen. The Scarecrow isn't really scary (well, maybe the mask is a little odd, possibly frightening to younger audiences), but he doesn't need to be psychotic or powerful to induce fear, he uses your own. Bruce's own fears of the past (not to mention guilt over his parents' deaths) provide a much more humane look at a superhero, like that of Spiderman 2. You feel Bruce is human, rather than just a symbol, as he attempts to be as Batman.Overall, this film plays much better than the last two, possibly all, of the Batman's before. The cast is excellent (never seen one better for superhero films), the dialogue is witty (unlike the final Star Wars movie), and the plot is a great start to the Batman canon. The end leaves us with Batman, the new vigilante of Gotham, ready to take on the crime of the city, one villian at a time (and ready to find the REAL murderer of his parents, the Joker, who leaves his trademark card at the end).