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Batman Begins (Widescreen Edition) (0123695414)
Description
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| Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand? Cowritten by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi Batman at Amazon.com
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Batman Begins Soundtrack Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)
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Reviews
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Author: Guest
The past Batman movies have been mostly disappointments for me, so I didn't bother to see this one in the theater. Last week, my father gave the DVD to me as a present. I didn't expect much, so I was really surprised and pleased to see that this is actually a movie and not an exercise in foolishness.
First of all, the character of Batman is really well developed. In previous movies, the idea of Bruce Wayne dressing up as Batman never seemed believable, but in this film, the steps toward becoming Batman are well outlined. If you're looking for a good Batman movie, this is the best one yet.
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Author: Guest
A number of years ago at a holywood party -- you would never think this kid would go on to create the BEST batman movie since the first one in the 80's -- a very low-key and humble looking guy -- but he did it. This movie ROCKS!
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Author: Guest
This was the best Batman yet. It was action packed and had a great story. This movie was about how Bruce Wayne came to be Batman, and the first villians that he faced. Christian Bale did an awesome job as Batman, and Michael Cane was a good and funny Alfred. I loved this movie and would recommend it to anyone that loves batman or just to anyone that loves a great action flick.
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Author: Guest
This new Batman film is a fresh start to a new series, giving a new storyline and being more accurate to the comic books.
THE PLOT: After his parents get murdered before his eyes, Bruce Wayne tries to avenge their deaths. But his revenge is foiled, and he heads East for counsel from the mysterious Ra's Al-Ghul. Soon, Bruce returns to Gotham and becomes BATMAN!
OPINION: Wow! This is by far the best Batman movie! Great action, beautiful story, a dark and gloomy atmosphere, and staying true to the comic books make this one a hit!!! A must see! And, remember to see the next Begins movie, coming in 2008!
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Author: Guest
I saw this film on Sunday, and I left the theater feeling mostly pleased with what I had witnessed. The movie is a bit of a mixed blessing though, because despite the direction in which the writer and director decided to steer this series in, which was a very promising and likeable concept, it still fell short of expections and didn't quite live up to the hype for a number of reasons.
The acting was good, and the cast was perfect, I mean it has the cream of the crop of actors so that couldn't have been better. Honestly, who can complain with the likes of Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Christian Bale and Michael Caine? It just doesn't get much better than that, folks. Unfortunately, the primary problem with the film was that it felt rushed and I didn't really notice a great deal of character development, nor was the plot itself all that fleshed out. For example, as many may have seen in the trailers of Bruce Wayne's training, that was more or less the extent of his training in the film. I was under the impression that the director would expound upon those principles to a greater degree in the film, but rather I was treated to a mere glimpse, much like the trailer, into Wayne's actual transformation from the billionaire playboy to the dark and brooding, masked crusader of justice. Where was the in depth martial arts training, the focus on ninjitsu, the impartment of Asian wisdom, the meditation and devotion to the cause of fighting evil and upholding the balance of good and evil? I felt robbed of what was promised to be an unparalled, unique and enriching experience of the real Batman.
Having said that, what I did like was the more realistic and plausible approach towards his gear and high tech gadgets, as well as his training obviously, however limited in scope that it was.
The villains were a little disappointing this time around, which is another major distraction from the overall enjoyment of this film. Was the Scarecrow well made? Yes, I like the effects, not too over the top, and he seemed a little scary but he wasn't quite as effective and disturbing as let's say Nicholson's Joker or pathetic and loathsome as Devito's Penguin. He didn't have enough screen time to make a big impression, nor did his evildoer counterparts, like the mob boss or the main antagonist.
As for the special effects in general, I thought it was competent, since the producers did not get carried away with CGI and superfluous aesthetics which is far too common these days, which is evident with such films as 'Van Helsing', '13 Ghosts' and so on.
I was fond of the romance between Wayne and the assistant D.A. played by Katie Holmes. Their chemistry was not off the charts and in your face, but it worked, and it seemed believable unlike certain unmentionable on-screen romances that have plagued prequels in recent years.
All things considered, I think the story was a little above average with awesome concepts but flawed execution, as in too brief and rushed. I'm thinking that they cut out many crucial scenes much like Jackson did with the LOTR trilogy, just for the reason of being able to sell millions more DVDs than the regular theatrical version would. I'm positive that there will be an uncut, unrated director's cut with extras up the wazoo, but quite frankly I find this trend inexusable, since the theater version should be the ultimate and final version of the film, because first impressions count the most, and it's the version that the majority of viewers will be familiar with from the start.
It's kind of sad to see such wasted potential though, since many of these legendary actors did not really get the chance to show off their acting skills to a great extent.
As a whole, I recommend the film for trying something original and taking the road less traveled, but I cannot accept all the missed opportunities for greatness that were there for the taking. That I blame on the writer(s) as well as the director, perhaps some of the producers as well. Nonetheless, it is worth seeing, and I'm glad to say that it is way better than the last two Batman incarnations, but not any greater than Tim Burton's first two films.
Final grade is 4/5 stars, since it is above average but nothing memorable or classic. Hollywood, good try but you can do better.
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