My Movie Review on Batman Begins · 3:43pm Oct 31st, 2023
Happy Halloween, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 2nd and final installment of this year's "Spook Spectacular", I'm gonna give you guys my take of the first movie in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy: "Batman Begins".
Normally, I'd start off with giving a rundown of a movie before sharing what I think of it. As I started to think about the whole thing more, though, I realized that there wasn't much to explain other than that the movie depicts the origin story of Bruce Wayne becoming the Batman, and that the main antagonist of this feature is Ra's Al Ghul. When I tried writing down a summary at one point, I felt that I may have been giving away too much, so I ultimately skipped doing so.
Moving on from that...
I really can't lie, The Dark Knight trilogy is a series that I was interested in checking out for quite a while. Several of my family members spoke positively of the the films in the past, and as I often read about their positive reputation and overall significance in the film industry, I felt like I was the only man alive who didn't see them yet. So, I finally took the time to watch them earlier this year with my 2nd eldest brother-in-law, and all in one week too!
Of course, in order to make my reviews, I decided to see each film a 2nd time. I wanted to make sure my thoughts on the trilogy were 100% consistent and certain, especially considering this is the first live-action superhero series I'm reviewing since Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman films. And as you can see, I decided to review "Batman Begins" for my "Spook Spectacular" since the movie's themes revolve around fear.
So, what do I think of "Batman Begins" in words? Especially after seeing it twice this year?
Well, after giving it another look recently, I'm proud to say that "Batman Begins" was an astounding movie. Heck, when it comes to being a film by Christopher Nolan, I enjoyed "Batman Begins" way more than "The Prestige".
For instance, the direction by Christopher Nolan, the story by David S. Goyer, and the screenplay by all two of them, were brilliantly well-done.
The one thing I'll admit is that the camera got a little shaky during some of the action sequences, but as I thought about it more, I didn't think it was that much of a problem. The action scenes were still engaging in their own way, and the best part was that they were exhilarating and unpredictable to where I absolutely wanted to see what the end results would be.
Nolan and Goyer did a wonderful job adapting Batman's origin story and beginnings as a superhero, if I may add. Even amidst the story's wide array of characters, they managed to keep the narrative tightly focused on Batman himself and ensured that it was going to be all about him. The story itself had tons of thrilling and suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat, and the mystery aspect of it was intriguing to a tee. The dramatic, emotional, and heartfelt moments were terrific as well, and there were some tidbits of wit that successfully helped balance out the tone. For a movie with a 140 minute runtime, "Batman Begins" ran at a surprisingly smooth pace, both because it didn't feel like things were dragging too long and the film kept itself from getting dull the more it progressed.
Moreover, compared to "The Prestige", "Batman Begins" had actual morality and well-handled themes. It addresses that fear is what many skunk bags of this world will use to gain control over others, and that if you don't confront & overcome your fears, then your life will be ruled by them. Plus, the film taught that we should never let anger, hatred, and vengeance control us, and that no matter what the wicked and unjust inflict, it's important that we refrain from enacting cruelty in return. Several verses in the Bible say that we should respond to our enemies with compassion and mercy instead of condemnation and judgement, and I thought Nolan and Goyer brilliantly showcased the right kind of times to do so through the part where the League of Shadows wanted Bruce to execute a thief that was helpless, defenseless, and at the league's mercy.
Outside of this, the music by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer was magnificent.
For every individual scene they separately worked on, Howard and Zimmer each created score pieces that were absolutely mesmerizing. Their styles didn't clash with one another or cause a detraction of sorts, and it sounded like both composers were very passionate about this project & wanted to give their all. Rather than repeat the works of Danny Elfman and John Williams in previous DC movies, Howard and Zimmer created a score that helped translate this superhero feature into an emotional & dramatic crime-thriller, which was another thing I particularly enjoyed about the music.
Finally, the acting, characters, and character development were stupendous.
When it came to the overall casting, Nolan definitely chose the right people for each role. All of the performers portrayed their comic-based characters like they were literally born to play them, and it was amazing to see them not only represent these DC figures, but translate them as fully-realized and three-dimensional human beings as well. Some of the biggest examples I'd like to mention are Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox. Each of the three cast members carried remarkable physical similarities to their respective DC characters, of course, but what really helped their castings click was that they incorporated so much personality & emotion into their portrayals.
In my opinion, the people who gave the best performances were Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul. I can see why Bale is often considered the best live-action performer of Batman himself to date, I'll tell you that. He portrayed Bruce in both his billionaire and superhero personas with superb style, and he successfully helped capture Bruce as an actual person rather than a stick figure. Also, when it came to making his debut starring in villain roles, Liam Neeson didn't kid around. He approached playing Ra's Al Ghul with sheer unpredictability and mysteriousness, both in the character's emotions and personality, and he transformed whatever piece of dialogue he had into a noteworthy quote.
The characters and their overall developments were amazing too. Every major character was memorable and engaging in the best way, and they each had a personality and growth that helped them stand out all-the-more. Bruce in particular was the character who grew the most throughout this motion picture, which perfectly complimented the fact that the movie depicts his origin story.
In conclusion, "Batman Begins" is a genuine masterpiece with hundreds of reasons for why it rightfully earned a positive reputation and significance. Everything about it was outstanding beyond compare, and Christopher Nolan was clearly on his A-Game.
So, I rate "Batman Begins" a solid five out of five stars.
Agreed with everything you said.
It may not be my favorite movie of the trilogy, but it still certainly set the tone for the following movies. Without “Batman Begins”, we wouldn’t have gotten one of the best sequels of all time.
Batman Begins is my go-to example of how to reboot a franchise well. Another stellar entry in the filmography of Christopher Nolan.
I'll need to see it myself before making a proper evaluation of it.