046 - Batman Begins (2005)

DVD Box

Batman Begins tells the story of where DC Comics hero Batman came from.

Lost following the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) goes on a mission of self-finding to seek the way to fight injustice in his city of Gotham. With help from a mysterious group called the Army Of Shadows, led by Henri Ducard (Liam Nieson), he becomes one of the most able ninja-style fighters in the world.

Upon returning to Gotham, Bruce meets up with his butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and Wayne Enterprise's gadget man Lucius (Morgan Freeman) to create his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman.

He then sets on a mission to remove petty crime from the streets with detective Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) before uncovering something altogether more sinister.

Theatrical Poster

Batman Begins is an interesting insight into the world before The Dark Knight. Despite insisting on talking in hushed tones throughout the film, Bale does a fine job at acting the now famous comic book hero.

It features an all-star cast which, apart from drawing in the audience in large numbers, can cause a problem as each star wants to fight for their own limelight. In Batman Begins, however, director Christopher Nolan manages to keep each actor assigned to their own role. In fact, Morgan Freeman randomly pops up in the middle and it is quite unexpected.

The city of Gotham is a piece of artwork in itself. Before Bruce's parents' deaths, the city appears to be turning a corner with regards to crime and this is represented beautifully through the use of lighter colours and the brand new rail system. Following Bruce's return from self-discovery, Gotham appears to be worse than ever; drenched in a thick fog overshadowed by the now rusting monorail. This vision by the artwork department is stunning.

Similarly, Batman's costume, although by now so well-known by fans that they could draw it in their sleep, is created with such intricacy so that each little detail is highlighted during Bale's scenes with Freeman. It is quite impressive.

Finally, a film is nothing without a storyline. While the skeleton of the story is pretty standard for any comic book hero film - city turning bad, in need of hero, hero arrives just as evil villian is about to unleash master plan - another layer has been added by using Batman's relationship with Jim Gordon and the refreshing lack of relationship with DA Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes).

All-in-all a fantastic introduction to the world of Batman.

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