About.com Rating

Visit Their Website

It has been eight years since we have had a Batman movie. Many fans thought that this day would never come due to the extremely poor run of Batman and Robin. Its problems were many; the money Batman and Robin made in the US didn?t even cover the budget of the film and the script was abysmal. But due, in part, to the rise in popularity of comic book movies, Batman has risen again to defend Gotham City.

Content Guide: Violence, frightening and intense situations, romance, mild language.

Storyline

This movie takes a fresh look at the Batman universe with a retelling of how Bruce Wayne transforms into Batman for the very first time. We see his tragic start, with the death of his parents, his years of wandering and training, his return to Gotham to seek justice not only for his parents, but for the citizens of Gotham itself. Finally, there is the final step of creating the Batman persona and using it to instill fear in the criminal element, showing Gotham that there is hope, that it can be saved.

The action really starts to heat up when the Scarecrow appears with a diabolical plot to poison the people of Gotham and turn them into a frightened mob that will tear itself apart. Batman comes to save the day but finds out that not is all as it appears to be and that there is someone working in the background to bring about the end of Gotham City. Only Batman and a few allies stand between the evil that will destroy Gotham.

Setting

This Batman is a much more gritty and ?real? Batman than the others have been. One feels that this Gotham City could exist, that the tools Batman uses could be replicated today, especially the incredibly awesome new Batmobile, and that the whole setting and plot could exist in one of our own metropolitan cities. This realism lends a great deal of credibility to the movie, and is something I have come to greatly enjoy in comic book movies as a whole. It helps us to invest emotionally into the characters as if we might know them or could even be them.

One of the recurrent themes of this movie is fear. The fear Bruce Wayne felt as a child, the fear that Batman uses from his persona to fight against overwhelming odds, as well as the fear that Scarecrow instills in people to turn them mad. It was a very interesting viewpoint for the filmmakers to take us on, and I enjoyed seeing how the different characters responded to the fears that they faced.

Due to the realism and the content, this movie is definitely not for younger views. It earns its PG-13 rating, and I think that many younger kids might get too scared from the frightening imagery and intense moments. As an adult, however, I loved it.

Acting and Special Effects

Overall, this movie was very well done and was a strong showing for a first out of what will be at least two more movies. The acting was strong, with a great performance by Michael Caine, this movies Alfred the butler. He really brought a parental and strong feeling to the character that I enjoyed. As Batman, Christian Bale was moody, brooding, fierce, and sometimes caring and thoughtful. Katie Holmes gave a decent performance as the love interest, although I felt that she came off more as a good friend than a potential lover. The rest of the cast was excellent, and it was great to see so many A-list stars turn out to make an impressive supporting cast. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Liam Neeson were all superb.

The special effects were very well done, and seemed to blend in more with the surroundings instead of overpower and take center stage. They were there to help tell the story and not become the point of the story. A point I wish some movies would remember.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of Batman, then this movie is a must see. I think you will definitely like it as it brings a much more visceral Batman to the screen, ala Frank Millers Year One or The Dark Knight Returns. If you just like comic book movies, then this is still a good pick as it is one of the better comic book movies out there. And if you just like action flicks, what more do you want? Intense fight scenes, cool gadgets, and attractive co-stars make this movie a lock. Do yourself a favor and go see Batman Begins. But don't take my word for it. Read a review from a self proclaimed "non comic book person".

Visit Their Website