Review: Batman Begins (2005)
'And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.'
★★★★
Immediately following that misfire of a movie, "Batman and Robin (1997)," this was Batman's enormous return. Even though it took 8 years. Despite that wait, this is an excellent Batman film and a great origin story. Before this, we've gotten impressive origin stories for Superman and Spider-Man. Tim Burton's Batman is a good Batman film, but the problem with that film is that there's hardly any focus on Batman. All of it went to Jack Nicholson's Joker. With this film, Batman finally gets the attention and origin story he deserves!
"Batman Begins" (2005) tells the origin story of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and his transformation into Batman. After witnessing his parents' murder, Bruce travels the world to understand the criminal mind and trains with the mysterious League of Shadows, Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson). Upon returning to Gotham City, he adopts the persona of Batman to fight crime and corruption. With the help of allies like Alfred (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), he confronts villains such as the fear-inducing Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and uncovers a deeper threat from his past.
Finally delving into the murky and troubling corners of the Batman mythology, "Batman Begins" crafts a superhero who, if not believable, is at least compelling as a guy motivated to don a bat suit and turn vigilante. The film delves into Bruce Wayne's torturous journey from a parentless childhood to an isolated adult life, rather than merely narrating Batman's origin tale in the vein of a comic book. Though it seems to be realistic, the film is not realistic because how could it be? With an origin story like this, an all star-cast, excellent directing from longtime Batman fan, Christopher Nolan, and Hans Zimmer's music, this Batman film has it all. I know there has been some debate and criticisms against Bale's Batman, but me personally, I found him good. He's no Michael Keaton, but he still delivered a great performance.
Among other things, I like how the movie lacks the sheen of the previous movies. An early design is the Batman outfit. Beneath Wayne Manor lies a real cave known as the Bat Cave. The Batmobile jumps across a waterfall and leaps across a chasm to enter and exit it. The Bat Signal lacks concentration and is imprecise. The film redefines the character with a darker, more realistic tone, setting the stage for a new era of superhero cinema. The film is entertaining as well as dramatically effective. It has some substance. Outstanding work was done by Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale.