BATMAN BEGINS
dir: Christopher Nolan
"It's not who I am underneath, it's what I do that defines me" - Batman
Brief Synopsis
Telling the origins of Batman's creation, followed by his first foes Rha's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow who plan on destroying the city of Gotham.
Why It's Here
With four feature length Batman films already released prior to this, none of them truly capturing the character of Batman, all hope nearly seemed lost. While Burton's world was vividly accurate to the comic and cartoons of the 90's making carbon copies of many of the characters, it lacked the detail and understanding of the city of Gotham and it's dynamics.
After years of recovering from Batman's shattered box-office image, Christopher Nolan arrived with his reboot story that changed the image of the tarnished Caped Crusader into the Dark Knight. A story that put the humanity of it's characters in the fore-front while the big-budget car chases and explosions were only to compliment the dramatic features. Nolan's origin story corrected the wrongs of Burton's films (Joker didn't kill Wayne's parents) and clearly separated itself from the previous movies.
Nolan's cast is perfectly well rounded. As a young Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale plays the role flawlessly, creating the perfect dual identity between the shallow, suave billionaire and the raspy-voiced dark avenger. Bale's performance as Wayne is one that tops the many actors who have portrayed the character in the past, yes, he is even more suitable for the role than the fan-favourite, Michael Keaton. In the villainous role, Cillian Murphy portrays Scarecrow as an egomaniac whose evil scheme is part of a larger plan, but also to give himself a substantial salary increase as a crooked psychiatrist.
Nolan and Goyer collaborated on the film's script, putting together a story that any self-respecting Bat-fan (couldn't resist) can easily fall in love with. The script is extremely quotable with A-grade dialogue and villainous characters and a slight twist in the final act. Batman is a hero who, unlike others such as Superman or Spider-Man, has always been meant to be grounded in reality. Critics will complain about the lack of imagination in this film's world, yet it isn't a hero that involves superpowers, only a moral code and courage. Therefore, the script goes to great lengths to describe the military origins of Batman's suit and gadgets. His newly titled "Tumbler" batmobile being the best of the batch, so raw and powerful it will make even the nay-sayers giddy with excitement.
Nolan's powerful understanding the city of Gotham and the people who reside in it is the key to this film's success. It's rich characters, plots, and riveting climax is unforgettable to anyone who has ever called themselves a fan of Batman, it's a movie that is so respectable, yet so much fun, even those who haven't given Batman a chance will find much to love in Nolan's first Batman masterpiece. The best part is, Nolan managed to outdo himself and create a nearly impossible superior sequel with "The Dark Knight" three years later.
After years of recovering from Batman's shattered box-office image, Christopher Nolan arrived with his reboot story that changed the image of the tarnished Caped Crusader into the Dark Knight. A story that put the humanity of it's characters in the fore-front while the big-budget car chases and explosions were only to compliment the dramatic features. Nolan's origin story corrected the wrongs of Burton's films (Joker didn't kill Wayne's parents) and clearly separated itself from the previous movies.
Nolan's cast is perfectly well rounded. As a young Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale plays the role flawlessly, creating the perfect dual identity between the shallow, suave billionaire and the raspy-voiced dark avenger. Bale's performance as Wayne is one that tops the many actors who have portrayed the character in the past, yes, he is even more suitable for the role than the fan-favourite, Michael Keaton. In the villainous role, Cillian Murphy portrays Scarecrow as an egomaniac whose evil scheme is part of a larger plan, but also to give himself a substantial salary increase as a crooked psychiatrist.
Nolan and Goyer collaborated on the film's script, putting together a story that any self-respecting Bat-fan (couldn't resist) can easily fall in love with. The script is extremely quotable with A-grade dialogue and villainous characters and a slight twist in the final act. Batman is a hero who, unlike others such as Superman or Spider-Man, has always been meant to be grounded in reality. Critics will complain about the lack of imagination in this film's world, yet it isn't a hero that involves superpowers, only a moral code and courage. Therefore, the script goes to great lengths to describe the military origins of Batman's suit and gadgets. His newly titled "Tumbler" batmobile being the best of the batch, so raw and powerful it will make even the nay-sayers giddy with excitement.
Nolan's powerful understanding the city of Gotham and the people who reside in it is the key to this film's success. It's rich characters, plots, and riveting climax is unforgettable to anyone who has ever called themselves a fan of Batman, it's a movie that is so respectable, yet so much fun, even those who haven't given Batman a chance will find much to love in Nolan's first Batman masterpiece. The best part is, Nolan managed to outdo himself and create a nearly impossible superior sequel with "The Dark Knight" three years later.
Watch Out For
That gaping plothole in the films final act, the water? Really? Even though this plotline has you raising your eyebrows, you might also want to watch out for that killer ending, just try to not watch The Dark Knight immediately after, you can't do it.