Product ReviewsBatman Begins (DVD, 2005, Widescreen)

Flesh and Machinery

Christopher Nolan and his co-screenwriter, David Goyer have chosen to postpone the crossover of Bruce Wayne (a soulful Christian Bale) into Batman until half way through the new "Batman Begins."
And this is a crucial and important step that Nolan puts off until Bruce walks the earth in search of his own personal nirvana... in a sort of Christ-like journey to understand himself and his place in the world after his parents are brutally murdered. It is also from this quest that he acquires the knowledge and skills necessary for him to become a warrior, ready and able to combat the ills and rid his town Gotham of all evil-doers.
Nolan's "Batman Begins" is a more macho, masculine film than were the previous movies, which is not to take anything away from Tim Burton's elegiac, gothic and visionary takes on this story. But Burton's world is/was/ and will always be the world of the dreamer: his Batman is more sinned against than sinning. His Batman needs love and understanding while Nolan's wants and needs justice and revenge more than anything else: even the sultry Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes proves to be of little interest to Batman save a chaste kiss at the end of the movie. It's interesting to note that in the previous Batman films we had big beautiful bombshells like Kim Bassinger and Nicole Kidman as the so-called love interests while here, in Nolan's vision we have a more scrubbed clean, working class (Rachel is an assistant D.A.) heroine: a woman who is as interested in righting wrongs as is Batman and not merely someone meant as an adornment to the suave debonair Batman of Val Kilmer, George Clooney or Michael Keaton. It's an important and telling shift from woman as a plush toy to one who is, not only beautiful but also smart and dedicated to a cause other than self-promotion and self-satisfaction.
Christian Bale's Batman is real..i.e. a genuine, fleshed-out, beautifully written movie character: he is conflicted, he makes mistakes, he trusts the wrong people at times and he pays for his mistakes. It is a remarkable casting coup to have Bale in this role particularly since of late he has been playing a spate of radicals...i.e. in "The Machinist," in which he transforms himself into a skeleton...literally. As Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bale dons the mask, assumes the persona, not out of a lust for power but out of a fervent belief that good will always triumph over evil: several times in this film he is brought to task for his trust in the basic goodness of people and one of his mentors ( Liam Neeson as Ducard) even goes so far as to ridicule Bruce as sentimental and weak for it. Though Ducard is his mentor and sensei, this relationship proves to be fraught with ambiguity as the movie progresses to the climax.
What is a Batman film without its villains? But this film is devoid of the cartoon craziness of the Riddler or the Joker. Here we have Cillian Murphy (so good in "28 Days Later") as a scary-as-hell The Scarecrow, alias psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane, who spews his psychedelic paranoia and psychosis on an unsuspecting Gotham. His "stuff" is more thrilling and frightening than anything that the aforementioned villains could ever muster.
"Batman Begins" is not only a physically gorgeous film, it is also an emotionally and ideologically complicated one. It wears its heart on its sleeve, yes...but it also has the brains and a profoundly strong back and pumped up physicality to back it up.Read full review...

Batman Begins

Genius of mystery and intrigue Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, FOLLOWING, INSOMNIA) helms this prequel to the Batman films based on the DC Comics series, explaining how Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale)--the billionaire prince of Gotham whose parents were killed in an alleyway mugging--transformed into the crime-fighting superhero. With flashbacks to his privileged childhood, young Master Wayne, as he is called by the butler Alfred (Michael Caine), develops a terrible fear of bats when he falls through the backyard garden into a hidden cave. As a young adult, Wayne lives among the League of Shadows, a martial arts group in the mountains of Asia. His leaders Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) teach him strength, endurance, and--unfortunately--evil, against which he naturally rebels. Returning to Gotham and reinstating himself as a dapper socialite and the rightful heir to his parents' enterprise, Wayne quickly devises his secret identity, commanding help from the gadgetry expert Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). With one eye on his childhood playmate Rachel (Katie Holmes)--now a beautiful woman and dedicated lawyer--and the other on his mission to save Gotham from criminal corruption, Batman makes his fledgling debut. But when the blue-blooded mastermind Dr. Crane (Cillian Murphy)--who steals every scene with chilling menace--taints the water system with a hallucinatory substance, Batman realizes he has met his first true opponent. An attitude of grave seriousness elevates BATMAN BEGINS above more cartoony Batman movies, as Nolan crafts a dark drama that thrives on sci-fi intrigue. Bale strides into the role with grace, adding refinement that is seldom seen in action-oriented films. And while the action scenes explode with high-tech glitz and fast-moving thrills, they are evenly placed among sequences of plot and character development, making for a complex and satisfying viewing experience.Read full review...

My Top 10 List!!!

'Batman Begins' is easily one of the best films ever made in my opinion. After you watch this you will never want different actors in any of the roles that were played in the movie. The acting is simply perfect and the effects amazing. The action feels so real and gritty. The direction of the Batman series has taken a turn towards legendary. I only hope the next one can match 'Batman Begins' but they have set a new bar for superhero movies in delivering adventure, great characters, and great action. Nice work on such a must own title Warner Bros. Perfect!!! 5/5Read full review...

Batman Begins:The first Realistic Comic Movie

It really sets a new level for hero based movies. Although Sci-fi story, it really describes a detailed story of how the hero was born and does not insults the audience with a story that requires "faith" to believe.

Dont expect to see a real life story. You are watching Batman, so expect non-possible stunts.

Also, you are not watching an Oscar performance, which is why I put the "Good" Grade. However, Bale has come a long way from the American Psyco to this kind of acting.Read full review...

Awesome Movie !!!

This is an awesome movie" Its not Blu Ray but I've seen it in Blu Ray and their isn't much difference as far as picture quality !!! This is the best as far as a Trilogy series gets !!! Buy it " you'll be glad you did because I believe it won't be available in the near future !! ❤Read full review...

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Possibly the Best Batman movie ever made

Some people may disagree with this review. I will admit I have never been a fan of the Batman television show and thought the Tim Burton films were horrible. I never understood how a millionaire dressed like a bat could possibly battle evil villains when he himself had no experience at being a vigilante. Every movie and television show that focused on Batman gave the back story that Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents murder, but gave no other explanation on how he gained his status as a superhero. He may be able to buy the best equipment, but his millionaire status does not qualify him to have any superhero strength to fight injustice. With this movie this all changed.

Now we explore every aspect of Batman's aspect including how he gained his superhero powers. We witness how a person can become so obsessed with a tragedy that they will do everything possible to make sure no one else will be dealt the same fate. However what I liked best about this movie is the Villains are not the cartoonish characters we have seen many many times. instead we find a real villain that could possibly come from our own world.

Although I would like to give away more details of the story here, I think I might ruin it for someone else. Best advice is to get a copy and watch it. But be prepared, this is NOT the Batman from the comic books. This Batman could be part of our real world.

P.S. if you saw "The Dark Knight" and have not seen this one yet, it is still worth your time. In fact, I thought this film was even better than "The Dark Knight"Read full review...

Batman Begins -Just What the Franchise Needed

I love this movie. It's just the sort of re-visioning that the franchise needed to survive. Batman and other Superheros need to be portrayed seriously on the screen. It's what the fans want. The comics take them seriously, even though they may be doing outrageous acts or fighting extreme characters. Too often Hollywood said, "No one with an IQ can believe this, so it ought to be funny to appeal to everyone." This throws out the fan base that made the character worth producing a movie about in the first place. After the last two disastrous Batman films the handwriting must have been on the wall for the producers of this movie. Batman begins is the best of the series- period.
Top-notch performances, fantastic special effects and intelligent writing make this film an excellent introduction to the world of superhero films. The story follows Bruce Wayne's tortured path to becoming the Batman, believably explaining how he acquires his gizmo's along the way. The only criticism I have is the film occasionally has so many fast edits it's hard to understand exactly what's happening to whom. (Please Hollywood, a few less cuts and a few more long shots please) Also of note it the excellent and moody music score.
A total winner.Read full review...

Batman Begins

excellent update of Batman concept from Michael Keaton and George Clooney. Less cartoony and more film noir. Welsh bloke plays an American quite credibly. Liam Nesson steals the show but that does not detract from rollicking good yarn. Martial arts sequences brief but adequately choreagraphed. Rutger Howard's performance is good and Morgan Freeman supports well. Michael Caine adds new dimension to Alfred the butler character. All in all, well worth the price of $10 delivered.Read full review...

Fantastic Film !!

What a GREAT movie !! Everyone involved did a fantastic job! From the writers, producers, director, actors, stuntmen and all of the behind-the-scenes folks.

A great job was done on the portrayals of the characters, from Mom & Dad, to Alfred & Bruce, to the mob boss & the creepy scarecrow, to the growth of the careers of James Gordon & Batman, to utilizing the financial & business resources of Wayne Enterprises.

The introduction of all of the very cool Batman “toys”, form the suit to the gadgets, as well as the Batmobile itself, is very well done and highly believable. Everything that Bruce acquires from the Archives Department, could conceivably happen.

Great special effects and great chemistry of the entire cast makes this film a must see & a must have for your video collection.

I would see 30 of these movies provided they are made with the main cast remaining intact as well as the director and writers, and the same attention to detail and character casting that this film has.

Make more !!!

IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE VOTE. THANK YOU !!Read full review...

The Best Batman movie yet!

Having loathed most of the previous Batman movies, I was reluctant to watch this one. I'm so glad I did! This one has removed almost all of the cartoon elements found in the last two Batman movies and is an excellent action adventure drama. The cast is fantastic: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman were highlights for me. This movie takes on two of the most complex villains in the Batman legend: Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow. The pacing of the movie is great: it balances backstory and emotional turmoil with fast-paced action sequences. Christian Bale successfully portrays both Batman and Bruce Wayne--something previous actors seemed to have trouble with. Unlike some of the other Batman movies, this one DOES deserve its PG-13 rating: the Scarecrow scenes in particular could be too scary for young children. I thorougly enjoyed this movie and am glad I have it in my DVD collection to watch again. Highly recommended!Read full review...