Movie #58 - Batman Begins

Batman Begins
Warner Bros. Pictures

2005 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 20 min
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe


I remember when this movie came out thinking, "Another Batman? Why?" But after watching those last four, I can see what the franchise needed a new start. In Batman Begins, the slate gets wiped clean and Christopher Nolan takes a stab at how Batman became the Batman. And some clever bits and pieces are added to deepen his character.

This movie takes the comic-ness out of the story and makes it more accessible. Batman isn't just one-half vigilante and one-half playboy. Instead, we get to see his relationship with his father, how deeply scarring it was to lose his parents, how his childhood friend can affect him, and how his training made him what he is. Plus, it's fun to watch Christian Bale train with ninjas, just sayin'.

Christian Bale may not be the best Batman, but he's great at the gritty, wounded hero thing. He could do without the Batman voice, as I'm sure most people would agree, but it's a small criticism in an otherwise entertaining movie.

I really enjoyed this movie when I first saw it in the theater and I still like it now. My only regret is that the sequel The Dark Knight is filed under D... or else I'd be happy to move onto it right away.