Batman Begins (2005)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Christopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins,' is often forgotten because of the love that so many have for its infamous successor, but it's actually a very important film that seeds the serious approach, some of the ideas, as well as the characters that the rest of its brilliant trilogy plays with so well. Indeed, where it probably deserves its credit most is in how seriously it decides to take its source material, as comic book movies up to this point had never really delved into such serious thematic and dramatic territory, and without this the trilogy would never have happened and the face of modern blockbuster cinema may look very different. In fact in a way it's Nolan's first foray into big movie territory, and it serves to prove that mass audiences deserve to be treated with real intelligence as this is one heck of a smart movie. It discusses ideas surrounding the true meaning of justice, the ways justice can be sought, and crucially the power of symbols and fear, and all of that goes on to form much of the basis of the next two movies as well as the central conflict in this one.
  But where Begins in particular excels most is in the character department, as Christian Bale works with the well-rounded character writing to ground a brilliant version of Bruce Wayne and Batman that we can all root for and understand, and the motivation for his drive for justice and his methods for seeking it out feel earned and emotionally relevant. The plot thereafter also has high personal stakes for him and his surrounding characters, and in the end what you've got here is a thoroughly engaging and intelligent blockbuster that kick-started this amazing trilogy with all the right foundations.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The silly third act plot does feel a little less grounded until we get the thematic reasoning later on, and there much of that thematic writing is rather on the nose.
  
  VERDICT: A brilliant start to an incredible trilogy that plants the seeds of its ideas, its world and, crucially, its characters, 'Batman Begins,' is often overlooked, but it's actually a very well-executed and important film indeed.

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