Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
Morals, Fear, Justice and Batman
memento_mori - wrote on 06/29/2013
Batman Begins is more than just your typical, silly, Sunday-morning Batman piece. It's a work of art.
Before this movie, that's all that Batman was. A silly popcorn flick.
But then the Nolan struck the cinemas...
He gave Batman a meaning. He didn't just tell you: hey look, a bat suit, doesn't it look cool? No. He said: Here's a person. A person who is tormented by the fact that his city is dying, and wants to spark a symbol, so that people will stand up to their fears. So he picks his fear: Bats.
Brilliant.
Christopher Nolan taking over Batman is the best thing in cinema since Kubrick. I couldn't imagine a better re-imagining.
I cannot praise the brilliant screenplay enough, because it portrays elements of Bruce Wayne, which don't only describe him as a person and as the Batman. …
Rating of
3.5/4
Does it come in black?
MikeInMotion - wrote on 09/03/2012
When a director is faced with the task of rebooting a franchise that ended in horrific fashion, their duty is both simple and difficult. On one hand, just about anybody could make a movie better than Batman & Robin. On the other hand, where do you go in terms of making the new franchise your own? Director Christopher Nolan lets fans know from the very beginning that his Batman is a much more dark and complex character, creating the most human portrayal of Batman yet.
We learn immediately that Bruce Wayne is terrified of bats. He fell down a well as a child, which caused the bats at the bottom to panic and swarm all around him. This moment in his childhood left a serious mark on his life, but not as serious as one that would soon follow. Bruce witnesses the murder of his parents, as …
Rating of
4/4
"Batman Begins" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/31/2012
Christopher Nolan had already proved he could do characters and dialogue and in this latest reinvention of the classic comic book character, he proves emphatically that he can do action too. Taking cues from Tim Burton's previous attempt to bring the character back to its dark roots, Nolan's vision is so gritty and believable it makes Burton's film seem as comparatively camp as the Adam West TV series that preceded it. This origin story has no radioactive spiders or associated sillines; just an intelligent examination of a man's guilt and desire for revenge and the psychology of fear. This combined with unlimited resources that wealth can provide, Batman is born utilising some brilliant production design that not only looks fantastic, but also looks plausible. Bale was the perfect choice …
Rating of
3/4
Batman Begins
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 08/03/2011
A good origin film that shows the history Bruce Wayne's transformation to Batman. This was the beginning of the "dark, realistic" portrayal of super hero on screen. The only qualm I had was a proper antagonist that would rival Wayne’s new found skills and abilities, uninteresting score and a few dragging scenes. The action/fight scenes were good against Ducard, it was with Scarecrow that really wasn’t that interesting. Of all the artists involved, I felt Katie Holmes was the weakest link since her character Rachel Dawes was neither satisfying nor memorable. You have Christian Bale, Michael Caine as the reliable Alfred, the unprejudiced Jim Gordon portrayed by Gary Oldman, the innovative Mr. Fox played by Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy as fear master Scarecrow/Dr. Jonathan Crane …
Rating of
4/4
And so it begins... A great film
Gustavo² - wrote on 07/30/2010
This is a surprisingly bold comic book adaptation. A relevant statement must be cleared up before continuing this very positive and constructive review: I am not a Batman fan at all. In fact, its vast mythology and long history are unfamiliar to me. BATMAN BEGIS is a primary example of above average film-making. That can be noticed right from the moment it begins. Christian Bale (the young child star from Empire of the Sun) stars in what is arguably director Christopher Nolan's best and most accomplished film to date. His particular vision of the Dark Knight is less pretentious than his latest efforts, which includes the ever overestimated MEMENTO and the slightly superior INSOMNIA, a decent cop thriller. A vigorous and somewhat shadowy adventure blockbuster that rises itself in level if …
Rating of
4/4
Beginning of a Comic Legend
Jr Movie Lover - wrote on 07/25/2010
This is a perfect way to explain Batman's rise to notoriety in Gotham City. The acting of Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Liam Neesen are all good additions to this film. Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, Rutger Hauer, Colin Mcfarlane and Linus Roache all have good B level performances as minor characters in the plot. Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane is disturbing yet beautiful at the same time. If not for Heath Ledger as the Joker in the Dark Knight I would rank Cillian's performance as the second best batman villian aside from Carrey as the Riddler. Michael Caine is more of a mentor like Alfred then I am accustomed to seeing and I enjoyed that. Liam Neesen as Ra'S Al Ghul the immortal foe of Batman is also very riveting. Katie …
Rating of
3.5/4
Nolan's direction is superb @ #58.
mdtinney - wrote on 06/10/2009
Batman Begins" joins the Superman films of the 1980s and both Spiderman movies as an example of a movie comic book adaptation at its best. This is no surprise with Chrisopher Nolan at the helm, the man who brought us "Memento." True to the unique take that Nolan has on Batman, this film is not a sequel to the other four, but rather a new beginning for the caped crusader (as the name suggests). Like the other films, Batman faces multiple villains at the same time, including an old-style gangster named Carmine Falcone (played remarkably convincingly by Tom Wilkinson, who would not have been my first choice), and a devious psychiatrist named Dr. Crane (who proves that looks can be deceptive). There is a third villain whose arrival on the scene comes as a shock to the audience as well as to …
Rating of
3.5/4
Remember, The Dark Night really began in 2005
kcvidkid - wrote on 08/26/2008
Second viewings of movies at home are beginning to make a case for not going to theaters at all. Or is it just when I've already seen a movie in theaters? "Batman Begins" is just the latest of movies I've watched on DVD a second time and enjoyed so much more than the first time. I just didn't remember that it was as good as it was.
My memory of "Batman Begins" is that the backstory of Bruce Wayne's training was boring and there was little action. Upon my second viewing, though, that was the most interesting part to me. Vice versa, I remembered the Scarecrow parts being the most exciting and scary. Upon my second viewing, though, these scenes were actually the most disappointing.
The overwhelming success of "The Dark Knight" this summer nearly makes you forget its …
Rating of
3/4
The Dark Knight is back
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/2008
Scarred for life by being the sole witness to the murder of his parents (Linus Roache and Sara Stewart), "Bruce Wayne" (Christian Bale) finds himself in a foreign prison. He tolerates cruel treatment to observe the ways of how the criminal mind works. When he is placed into solitary confinment, he us visited by the mysterious "Ducard" (Liam Neeson), who offers "Wayne" a chance to join "The League of Shadows", a secret group of vigilantes led by "Ra's Al Ghul" (Ken Watanabe).
"Ducard" trains "Wayne" in the ways of the ninja and the ideals of "Al Ghul". He also shows him how to manipulate the fears of his enemy by conquering his own, which, in this case is bats.
After refusing to execute an accused murder to show his loyalty to the league, he returns after seven years to "Gotham …
Rating of
3.5/4
Suprisingly, The Best Batman Movie So Far
Arek - wrote on 07/02/2008
An exceptionally well-done Batman movie, especially considering the horrible depths to which the earlier Batman movies sank. The focus on character development and a story that actually feels as though its going somewhere is a breath of fresh air into a film franchise I thought was long dead (I still can't get over how awful Batman and Robin was).
Liam Neeson is particularly excellent as the villain Ra's al Ghul, who in my opinion was one of the best of Batman's nemeses. Unlike villains such as the Joker, who were just hell-bent on killing people and blowing things up, Ghul actually had a purpose and philosophy one could relate to to some degree.. If Ghul was a bit less extreme in his beliefs and methodology of carrying out justice, we might actually think he was a hero. This just …
