Batman Begins : A review

"You always fear what you don't understand" Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins.

I remember borrowing this movie from my VCD library sometime in 2005, when I was still in school. All I knew about the movie was that it was about Batman and that it was a reboot of the series. Being a big fan of "Batman-the animated series" and "Justice League", I was quite eager to watch this Batman flick that had an intriguing title, viz. Batman Begins.

Almost all Batman fans know that Bruce Wayne, as a boy, watched his parents shot to death by the homeless man, Joe Chill and thus, became Batman. In hindsight, it seems that this story is hardly enough to explain why the adult Bruce Wayne became Batman.

So, Christopher Nolan, then known only for Memento (and Following), took up the uphill task of rebooting a series which had 4 movies(Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman&Robin). I would say these movies were mostly awful and did not portray Batman the way he should be (as a Dark, alert superhero).

I don't want to give away the plot(as always) and hence I will ask you to watch the movie(if you haven't already).

This movie is filled with a Mega-cast of Christian Bale(as BruceWayne/Batman), Michael Caine(as Alfred the butler), Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman(Leon, AirForceOne), Liam Neeson(Taken, Schindler's List), Tom Wilkinson(Rocknrolla, Michael Clayton), Cilian Murphy(Red Eye, Inception). It has several villains and each of the characters played by the above actors are all memorable. As with most of Christopher Nolan movies, this movie has multiple timelines and it has a dark-ish feel that is perfect for Batman. Gotham city is neatly divided into the rich and the poor and the Batman has trying times in the slum-like Narrows. And, I see the ideals of Batman clearly portrayed in this movie.

What else is new? Check out the Batmobile, called the Tumbler (pic on top). There is also a new Batman symbol as seen in the pic here. And the Batman is clothed completely in black and a no-nonsense type Batsuit for him. I would say this movie (missed by most) sets it up perfectly for The Dark Knight. So, if you have seen The Dark Knight, and liked it, there is no reason not to like Batman Begins.

Overall I like it just a bit more than The Dark Knight because I like the Batman more than I like the Joker. :P

Genre : Superhero, Crime, Thriller. Reboot. Classy dialogues.

My rating : All thumbs. Pure Awesomeness. 10/10.