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| Batman Begins | 
| Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  1245 reviews
Sales Rank: 4362
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 141 minutes
ASIN: B0014D6PCO
Theatrical Release Date: June 15, 2005
Release Date: November 7, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
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| Customer Reviews:
 The first REAL Batman movie June 15, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have just returned from a midnight showing of Batman Begins, and my reaction is that of complete astonishment. Forget Tim Burton (and I won't even mention that other director), Christopher Nolan shows us what Batman should have been from the beginning of the series. It's too bad it took so long to get to this movie.
Batman Begins tells the story of how Bruce Wayne ended up becoming the Dark Knight. We see his training, and learn what inspires him to fight for justice. Christian Bale is perfect casting, and is the best Batman to ever grace the screen. Michael Caine is a brilliant Alfred with a great sense of humor, Morgan Freeman is brilliant in his supporting role, Katie Holmes is great as Bruce's love interest, and Cillian Murphy is effectively creepy as the Scarecrow.
Batman fans, THIS is what you have been waiting to see. While I enjoyed the first two Batman movies of the original series, I felt that they were both lacking something. This Batman brings everything you wanted to see to the screen, and I will be first in line for the sequel.
Thank you to Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Christian Bale, and all the rest of the cast and crew for bringing one of my favorite superheroes to life the way he should have been from the very beginning.
Totally Worthed The Anticipation! June 15, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was so thrilled that Christian Bale was cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne in this prequel, because he's such a great actor, and he's work in The Machinist was amazing. I think he's portrayal of Batman is more impressive than the previous actors'. He's very attractive as Bruce Wayne, and he's so captivating as Batman. He deserves extra credit for being a British actor playing an American superhero, and he had to regain more than 50 lbs of lean muscles for the role right after he finished The Machinist.
In this movie, we get to see the Bruce Wayne having flashbacks of the killing of his parents in the alley when he was a kid. His father Dr. Thomas Wayne is played by another British actor named Linus Roache(Wings of The Dove), who is perfectly cast for the role, especially he looks similar to Bale. The man who killed his parents never got convicted, and years later, it was upto Wayne to take justice into his own hands, despite the lack of support from his friend Rachel Dawes(Katie Holmes), who was a D.A. assistant to her corrupted boss Carmine Falcone(brilliantly played by Tom Wilkinson). Bruce Wayne abandoned Gotham City and embarked on a journey in Asia.
He eventually met his mentor, Henry Ducard(Liam Neeson) and the ninja warriors that formed The League of The Shadows, whose mission was to wipe out the corrupted Gothem City. Liam Neeson looks rather unattractive in a wierd beard, and he's probably the most outstanding supporting player in this film. When he completed his training, he headed back to the Gotham City seven years later.
With the help of his housekeeper Alfred Pennyworth(Michael Caine), and Lucius Fox(Morgan Freeman), who was a weapon specialist, Wayne was able to transform into full Batman gear for the first time. He teamed up with Lt. James Gordon(Gary Oldman in a rather lowkey role) to battle the evil forces including The ScareCrow/Dr. Johnathan Crane(Cillian Murphy) who conspired to spread massive "fear hullucination chemicals" to destroy mankind. Wayne eventually reunited with Rachel when she was in danger and rescued her from the toxic chemicals. Just when he thought he had defeated all the bad guys, Ducard and the Ninjas arrived at his birthday party.....
The sets are very elaborate, both the structure of the Gothem City and the remote landscapes were quite an eye candy. The fight scenes were great, especially the car chase scene when the Batmobile was crossing over rooftops. The cast is irresistable, but there is not enough screentime shared between Rachel and Bruce to allow them to develop enought romantic momentum. Overall, this movie is very entertaining, and it's the first time to see so much of Bruce Wayne that isn't depicted in previous Batman movies. I do hope it's going to be a blockbuster, so that they would get Christian Bale to play Batman again.
A Clever and Faithful Reworking of the Legend of Batman June 15, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This review is spoiler-free,
I have to admit that going into theaters, I had my doubts. Christopher Nolan, the director, was primarily known for the exceedingly clever Memento. A Batman movie would require this new director to flex muscles he hadn't yet displayed. My worries were misplaced; the cleverness displayed in Memento translated well to Batman. This is easily the best Batman movie yet.
The first two Batmans were well received and are loved by many. The tone is unrelentingly dark for the most part. These two never really did it for me....I could never buy Michael Keaton as Batman....he didn't seem large or menacing enough to wear the mantle of the Dark Knight.
The 3rd movie, Batman Forever, was a dramatic departure from the first two. It featured a far more campy atmosphere. Still, the cast handled the script well, and in my opinion, it worked reasonably well.
Batman and Robin was certainly the stinker of the group. Clooney, Silverstone, and others tromped their way through a script that must have been difficult even for them to stomach. Additional problems included moronic looking bat-vehicles and the reduction of Bane to "minor house pet".
Up until now, the Batman movies had failed to do several things:
1. Put forth a really credible "man under the mask"- Kilmer got the closest (some say Keaton), but none were perfect.
2. Find the balance between darkness and humor.
3. Credibly explore the factors within Batman's dark psyche.
Batman Begins manages to accomplish all of the above. The movie is dark, but tinges of humor are interlaced throughout.
Cast/Acting: Batman Begins has a huge cast of A-list names. Sometimes, movies so jam-packed with names fail miserably. Surprisingly, the movie juggles all of the characters so well that none of them feel under-utilized. Michael Caine makes a great Alfred, if more serious than I expected. Gary Oldman looks the part of Gordon and as usual, handles his role with care. Ken Watanabe and Cilian Murphy play very convincing villains...Murphy, in particular, is very fun to watch. Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman are very welcome additions to the cast and provide some of the film's best moments. The weakest link is Katie Holmes, who acts here just like she does in everything else. Finally, Christian Bale is far and away the best man to don the Batman uniform. He plays both Batman and Bruce so effortlessly that I hope he will get the opportunity to do so again.
Plot: Superhero movies always have to walk the fine line of respecting the source material while making it accessible to audiences and conforming it to a cinematic format. Sometimes this means making the material more politically correct; others times, important details are left out for money or time reasons. I can't say I've read many of the Batman comics, but I'm very familiar with both Batman and his villains thanks to Batman: The Animated Series and other sources. Batman Begins stays true to the Batman character while providing further depth than I've seen elsewhere. The large cast accomodates a large number of relationships that define who both Bruce and Batman are. The pacing is perfect, and the first part of the movie provides very believable background for exactly and practically how Batman became Batman. Unlike other origin stories, this part of the movie manages to be every bit as enthralling as the rest. The entire story simply feels so much more multi-layered than any of the previous Batman movies. Batman Begins is both a character study and, in my opinion, a superhero epic. The legend of Batman is handled carefully, with respect for long-time fans.
Music: I'm a big fan of movie scores, and I wasn't dissappointed here. I wasn't in the slightest bit surprised when, in the credits, I saw the names Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Howard contributes the beautiful quiet themes while Zimmer contributes the powerful themes he's so well known for. Together, the two composers take the pacing of an already fantastic movie to another level.
I hardly imagined that this movie would turn out as well as it did; I should have known that Director Chris Nolan would pull through. I'm leaving some things unsaid because they are better experienced as a viewer. In conclusion, I can only hope that the same forces that came together to create this movie will bring us a sequel. Batman Begins and returns, indeed!
TIME MAGIZINE= WRONG June 10, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
THE TIME MAGIZINE SAID THAT BATMAN BEGINS IS GOING TO BE A BUMPY STORYLINE.I DON'T THINK SO!!!CHRISTOPHER NOLAN MADE A MASTERPEICE ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!"BATMAN SERIES ISN'T A SERIES!"SAYS EVERYONE."THEY KEEP CHANGING WHO IS BATMAN!!!"I KNOW IT IS REALLY TRUE, BUT WH CARES?IT'S STILL A MASTERPIECE SERIES!!!
A masterpiece!!!! June 5, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
BATMAN BEGINS is such a wonderful movie.I just finished the novel in 5 minutes ago......It was the best!!!Since I past my CRCT test score and got straight A,s all the way through in my seconed semestior I got a free tiket to Movies 400 from my principal......my school....my honor!!!After I read BEGINS of the Jouiner Novel I'm denfintly going to see this movie made for the world....the universe and even Ploto and for a "small" poor,little atom wanting to wacth a wonderful movie called "BATMAN BEGINS"Wacthing the trailer go to www.batmanbegins.com...
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