Batman Begins (Widescreen Edition)

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Cowritten by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi

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Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)

Product Description
In an effort to deal with the death of his parents years before, a young Bruce Wayne travels the world in search of answers and comes back to Gotham City with the skills necessary to fight the injustices around him.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 14-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews: Read 1218 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Flesh and Machinery June 18, 2005
514 out of 605 found this review helpful

Christopher Nolan and his co-screenwriter, David Goyer have chosen to postpone the crossover of Bruce Wayne (a soulful Christian Bale) into Batman until half way through the new "Batman Begins."
And this is a crucial and important step that Nolan puts off until Bruce walks the earth in search of his own personal nirvana... in a sort of Christ-like journey to understand himself and his place in the world after his parents are brutally murdered. It is also from this quest that he acquires the knowledge and skills necessary for him to become a warrior, ready and able to combat the ills and rid his town Gotham of all evil-doers.
Nolan's "Batman Begins" is a more macho, masculine film than were the previous movies, which is not to take anything away from Tim Burton's elegiac, gothic and visionary takes on this story. But Burton's world is/was/ and will always be the world of the dreamer: his Batman is more sinned against than sinning. His Batman needs love and understanding while Nolan's wants and needs justice and revenge more than anything else: even the sultry Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes proves to be of little interest to Batman save a chaste kiss at the end of the movie. It's interesting to note that in the previous Batman films we had big beautiful bombshells like Kim Bassinger and Nicole Kidman as the so-called love interests while here, in Nolan's vision we have a more scrubbed clean, working class (Rachel is an assistant D.A.) heroine: a woman who is as interested in righting wrongs as is Batman and not merely someone meant as an adornment to the suave debonair Batman of Val Kilmer, George Clooney or Michael Keaton. It's an important and telling shift from woman as a plush toy to one who is, not only beautiful but also smart and dedicated to a cause other than self-promotion and self-satisfaction.
Christian Bale's Batman is real..i.e. a genuine, fleshed-out, beautifully written movie character: he is conflicted, he makes mistakes, he trusts the wrong people at times and he pays for his mistakes. It is a remarkable casting coup to have Bale in this role particularly since of late he has been playing a spate of radicals...i.e. in "The Machinist," in which he transforms himself into a skeleton...literally. As Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bale dons the mask, assumes the persona, not out of a lust for power but out of a fervent belief that good will always triumph over evil: several times in this film he is brought to task for his trust in the basic goodness of people and one of his mentors ( Liam Neeson as Ducard) even goes so far as to ridicule Bruce as sentimental and weak for it. Though Ducard is his mentor and sensei, this relationship proves to be fraught with ambiguity as the movie progresses to the climax.
What is a Batman film without its villains? But this film is devoid of the cartoon craziness of the Riddler or the Joker. Here we have Cillian Murphy (so good in "28 Days Later") as a scary-as-hell The Scarecrow, alias psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane, who spews his psychedelic paranoia and psychosis on an unsuspecting Gotham. His "stuff" is more thrilling and frightening than anything that the aforementioned villains could ever muster.
"Batman Begins" is not only a physically gorgeous film, it is also an emotionally and ideologically complicated one. It wears its heart on its sleeve, yes...but it also has the brains and a profoundly strong back and pumped up physicality to back it up.

5 out of 5 stars

Batman flies high in excellent BEGINS June 16, 2005
355 out of 405 found this review helpful

Since his first dramatic appearance in Detective Comics in 1939, Batman has grown to become a pop-culture icon. From movie serials in the 40's, to a classic campy TV show in the 60's, to a solid animated series in the 90's, fans have thrilled to the super heroics of this unique character. However, as a film franchise, he has brought results that were somewhat less than impressive creatively. While the Tim Burton directed films, BATMAN and BATMAN RETURNS were stylish and dark, they also suffered from plot holes you could drive a Batmobile through. Then Joel Schumacher introduced a Day-Glo sensibility to the Dark Knight in BATMAN FOREVER, before drowning the character in ludicrous costumes (a Bat suit with nipples???), pun-filled foes, and whiney sidekicks in the lousy BATMAN & ROBIN. By then, Batman as cinematic property had become a laughingstock. Fortunately, indie film director Christopher Nolan reinvigorates the franchise in glorious form in BATMAN BEGINS, a reboot of the Batman legend that, for the first time, puts the focus squarely on our hero and not on the over-the-top villains of past films. Nolan also bases the film in a strong semblance of reality that allows the audience to not only accept the possibility of the winged vigilante, but embrace it as well.

Most fans already know the story of how wealthy Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) loses his parents when they are slain during an attempted robbery, but the movie also tells how he chose the bat as his symbol, as well as the steps needed to become the avenger of the night that he turns into. Disillusioned and frustrated by Gotham City's corrupt judicial system, the young Wayne goes abroad to study the criminal mind. Later, while locked in an Asian prison, Wayne is recruited by the enigmatic Ducard (Liam Neeson), who offers him a path in which to focus his anger and hone his skills. Wayne eventually joins his new mentor as a recruit in the mysterious League of Shadows, headed by the sinister Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Wantanabe). Eventually, Wayne realizes that he cannot follow the League's extreme methods of dispensing justice and returns to Gotham to forge his own way. It soon turns out that Wayne's return is just in time as Gotham falls prey to a fear epidemic engineered by the twisted Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA "the Scarecrow" (Cillian Murphy) and a familiar figure from Wayne's past.

From the top on down, this film is blessed with a solid cast that adds wonderfully to Nolan's vision. As the title hero, Christian Bale blows all other Batman portrayers out of the water with his intense and scary take of the role. This is a Batman that you not only fear, but can relate to as well. In fact, he turns in the definitive performance. Michael Caine adds warmth and humor as Wayne's trusty butler, Alfred. Liam Neeson does a great variation of his usual mentor roles as Ducard, a man with his own surprising secret. As an assistant DA and Wayne's childhood friend, Katie Holmes does a nice job with what is basically a thankless role. Cillian Murphy makes for a perfectly creepy Scarecrow, while Morgan Freeman is solid as usual as the man who provides Batman's wondrous car and gadgets. Gary Oldman is wonderfully cast against type as Jim Gordon, one of Gotham's few honest cops. The scene in which he drives the tank-like Batmobile is a sheer delight.

The screenplay by Nolan and David Goyer (who wrote the BLADE films) is awash with characterization and motivation...something that you don't see in many comic book films as a rule. In fact, you get so engrossed by the proceedings that you almost forget that you are watching a "superhero" film in the first place. The special effects are used to enhance the story and not overpower it, while the set design pictures a Gotham that is a unique cross of Chicago, New York and Hong Kong. If there is a flaw, it lies in some of the fight sequences. Done in close-ups and quick cuts, they can get frustrating for those who want to see more of Batman's fighting style. However, this is very minor since the story never ceases to grasp your attention.

In the end, Nolan and his superb cast and crew succeed in achieving what was once thought impossible: the resurrection of a film franchise that, if not dead, was at least on life support. As a result, Batman is once again flying high and BATMAN BEGINS is a film that I wholeheartedly recommend.

5 out of 5 stars

Batman is back! **Updated review to BluRay edition** December 5, 2005
47 out of 53 found this review helpful

After years of not having a Batman film and mostly due to the franchise hitting bottom thanks to Joel Schumacher's disastrous "Batman forever" and "Batman and Robin", Christopher Nolan present us his version of the character with an impressive all star cast anda story brilliantly written by David S. Goyer.

The film

There were high expectations for this film before its release as if would it be as good as Burton's films, the truth is, there are no points to compare, Nolan and Burton visions are quite different from each other, but both respect the origins and essence of who the character is.

Goyer took some liberties in the storytelling that could be considered as unforgivable by many fans (Bruce's parents are originally killed after seeing "Mark of Zorro" at the movie theater, a fact that marks Bruce's mind with the idea of a masked vigilante) but also hints at stuff that the previous versions let pass unnoticed, the main focus of this film are the origins of Batman and his training to become what he ultimately is. Even though the detective part of Bruce's training is not even mentioned, the twist in which Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson) is the one who trained him in the ninja arts and theatricality just makes their conflict more delightful and interesting. Cameos and appearances of characters from the comic book are also well used, justified and important to the story (Carmine Falcone and killer Zsaz)

The story uses the two villains exactly as they would act in the comic book, Ra's Al Ghul with his constant desire to set thing right his way and Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) working and experimenting with the thing he enjoys the most: fear. Even though the Scarecrow is totally the opposite of the comic book (in the comic Jonathan Crane is an old and ugly doctor who was fired from Gotham University for experimenting on the students with his gas of fear), the character presented keeps the essence and motives that the original character has, unlike the Riddler, Mr Freeze, Two Face or Poison Ivy in Schumacher's awful versions.

A new Gotham city is presented, much more like a NY city style, a new Batmobile (not as fancy as the previous ones but quite impressive) and a whole set of characters we expect to see in future releases, James Gordon (Gary Oldman who amazingly looks exactly as Jim in the comic), Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Jonathan Crane, Carmine Falcone and Ra's Al Ghul.

Masterfully executed by the whole cast and brilliantly directed by Nolan, there are many of us looking forward for a sequel to this film.

The extras

Disc one contains Mtv's "Tankman Begins", a spoof we could have lived without but without any doubt a collector's piece for all Mtv fans.

Disc two contains a set of documentaries related to all aspects of production and shooting of the film, from the early beginnings in Nolan's washing room until the shooting of some of the most difficult sequences of the film. The disc 2 is organized in a comic book-like format which makes it a little difficult to follow as many things are like hidden, but if you go until the end of the short and pointless story, you will find a list with all documentaries available. One of the documentaries called "Genesis of the bat" presents comic book artist related to Batman talking about the character and film, from Dennis O'Neil to Jim Lee. I am sure this will be a piece fans of the comic book will enjoy. All extras are worthy of watching and I strongly recommend the 2 disc set, it is a 5 o 6 dollar difference that will compensate with all the facts and items found in the bonus materials.

***BluRay review***

I had already written a review for this film when the two-disc special edition was released on DVD, so I will not get into any details about how great the movie is.

The treatment they gave to this release is incredible, image looks great and colors are stunning, the high definition definitely makes a difference and 'Batman Begins' looks better than ever (simply check out the ice sequence between Bruce and Ducard)

I have seen threads with questions as to what exactly does the limited edition set contains versus the regular single disc, so here are what I think are the most important ones:

The Disc

The disc included here is the same disc they released separately:
* All the extras from the 2-disc DVD are included, the documentaries and the awful 'Tankman Begins'
* The prologue to 'The Dark Knight' in high definition (are we in for a treat when released on Bluray!) This is basically the bank robbery scene that opens the sequel.

The Extras

The USB with 18 the stills from 'The Dark Knight' included in the DVD version of the gift set IS NOT INCLUDED in the Bluray gift set; don't know what the reason is but it would have made sense to include it in both versions.

The postcards included are selections from the art created to promote 'Batman Begins', in my opinion some of the images look simple and overall they are not that great.

The two comic books included are a joke! One is a comic book adaptation of the same 6 minutes prologue included in this edition (the bank robbery), the other one is the script with pictures of the same 6 minute prologue! I am a collector and big fan of Batman and even I find this ridiculous and overpriced.

The $7.50 coupon to see 'The Dark Knight' in theaters.

Bottom-line, I would give 3 stars to the BluRay release, not to the movie itself (which is great and looks superb in HD) but to the release. I am having buyer's remorse, don't be fooled by what the product description says, it may sound interesting but had I known the extras would be as they are, I would have gone for the cheaper single disc edition.

5 out of 5 stars

They finally got it right! August 16, 2005
31 out of 39 found this review helpful

This is, hands down, the finest movie I have seen in years. To compare it to other *good* films in recent memory, it has the visual depth of Harry Potter 3, twice the emotional resonance of Spidey 2, and enough total satisfaction to have me seriously consider burning my Batman DVD collection of the Burton/Schumaker films in effigy.

I remember all of the hype leading up to Batman in '89, only to leave the theater feeling disappointed in a movie that had less to do with the title character and more to do with his arch-enemy. When it came out on video, the AV place where I worked kept it in the VCR 24/7, and I quickly realized how annoying the movie became in the second hour with Vicky Vale's incessant screaming (this from a woman who supposedly photographed smouldering bodies on the front lines of war). I remember hating Batman Returns upon its release, only to gain some respect for it over the years as I've grown to appreciate Tim Burton's visual style. And with the revolving door around the man in the cape and cowl, I watched the franchise ultimately descend to B&R, the biggest pile of garbage in recent movie history, hated more than Battlefield Earth because it ruined characters that we were already connected to.

In a rare move of genius, the WB suits allowed the filmmakers to reboot the whole franchise with this film. The result is a film that isn't bound to established rules. It stands on its own and shines in its darkness.

Batman Begins ranks with Superman: The Movie as the greatest comic adaptation of all time. But it transcends being a comic adaptation. It's a stellar movie all on its own.

Hans Zimmer's is simple, riviting, emotional. A score can make or break a film, and Zimmer once again does not disappoint. It underscores how weak Danny Elfman's Spider-Man scores are, and it even eclipses Elfman's Batman scores. Accomplishing what Elfman can never seem to do, it heightens the tension and manipulates the audience's emotions, invoking the proper emotion for each scene.

Nolan is more than an auteur -- he is an artist, and this will be the pivotal moment in his career, much as Jaws was for Spielberg. The press leading up to this film noted that Nolan effortlessly pulled the whole thing together, turning in the film on time and on budget, as though already he had years of experience directing big budget epics. Clearly his confidence and lack of pretentiousness allowed the actors to deliver pitch-perfect performances. If the cast isn't strained, that comes through in a film.

Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne in a fresh way, with a youthful vigor that the "older" character hasn't shown, and yet much darker and scarier. This is the Batman you don't want to meet in a dark alley.

The supporting cast is rife with talent whose names preceed them -- but this has been true of every Bat-film. What makes this cast stand out from the films of the past is that they have checked their egos at the door, and clearly showed up to act. None of the performances are phoned-in here.

Regarding Katie Holmes, as one who never watched an episode of Dawson's Creek or any of her previous films, I was able to judge her performance in this film quite objectively. She rose to the challenge of her more seasoned costars, delivering an excellent performance that hopefully will result in her character's return in future films. Having a female interest who returns in a Batman film is a chance for Bruce Wayne to truly develop emotionally. And it can even lead to the catalyst for the much-wanted Batman vs. Superman. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I reiterate, this is the finest movie, end to end, that I've seen a long while. We have come to accept mediocrity in small and large doses in recent cinema, but I experienced not a single cringeworthy moment in the entire film. Not one. I have not been so throroughly entertained at the movies in years. The Matrix sequels, The Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings, the X-men movies, the Spider-Man movies ... these are all films that I've loved in this decade and watched again and again. But Batman Begins blew them all away for me. If those movies were home runs in their own right, Batman Begins is a grand slam.

5 out of 5 stars

"Batman" Legacy "Begins" Here & Justice Is Served August 27, 2005
27 out of 28 found this review helpful

"It's not who I am underneath that counts. It's what I do that makes the difference."
- Batman consoles Rachel Dawes, as Gotham City's legacy of corruption ends & "Batman Begins"

"Batman Begins" is the best "Batman" film, to date & is also one of the best films of 2005. Christopher Nolan takes the source material and does something Tim Burton & Joel Schumacher could never do... delivering a worthwhile "Batman" you actually care about.

After witnessing the murder of his parents, at the hands of thug, Joe Chill, a young Bruce Wayne is taken care of by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

Fast forward roughly a decade later as Bruce Wayne returns to Wayne Manor, leaving college, to watch & see if Joe Chill recieves an early release from prison after ratting out Gotham mob boss, Carmine Falcone. When Chill is released, Bruce finds out that the Gotham City he grew up with, has changed into an evil corrupt hellhole run by the mob. His point is proven as a newly freed Chill is shot in cold-blood on the courthouse steps, thanks from hired thugs payed off by Falcone.

Disillusioned, Bruce searches the world for a way to fight injustice. Trying to learn & understand the criminal underworld Bruce is caught as a thief & lands up in a Chinese prison where he meets a mysterious man by the name of Ducard. Ducard offers Bruce a chance to learn what he has been looking for. Bruce accepts his offer & meets Ducard's master, Ras Al Ghul, a sorcerer & extensive master in many martial & mental arts, who has trained Ducard in his ways.

Taken under Ducard's wing, & through extensive & arduous training both mentally (Bruce has to learn to face his fear) as well as physically, Bruce becomes what he had so longed for. But, everything comes with a price & Bruce finds out the true meaning of his training. After passing his final test, Bruce is given an ultimatum. Either, commit his life to serving Ras Al Ghul as a member of his League Of Shadows & help destroy Gotham City, or die. Bruce makes his choice & dedicates his life to saving Gotham City.

Once back in Gotham & with the help of Alfred, Bruce begins to search for items that can help him in aiding his fight on crime. Through his father's former company (now Bruce's), Wayne Enterprises, Bruce finds Lucious Fox, an old friend of his father's who is glad to help him out.

"Does it come in black?"

With the help of a lot of discarded army prototype's that the company gave up on, light weight, bullet-proof armor becomes the batsuit, while memory fabric becomes the basis for the batcape, & a vehicle called the tumbler, that makes the new model Humvee look like a Yugo, becomes the hell-raising Batmobile.

Justice has a new face & for the filth & scum of Gotham City, fear has a new name in the form of..., Batman.

"Why bats sir?"
"Becuase I fear them. It's time my enemies share my dread."

With the help of former girlfriend turned city attorney, Rachel Dawes & an alliance, partnership with, a future police commisioner, Jim Gordon, the first order of Batman's business is to destroy Falcone and his mob. But, Falcone isn't the only trash that Batman has to take to out. A mad psychiatrist who goes by the name of Scarecrow, who uses a toxin that hallucinates the victim's worst fears, is secretly in league with darker forces. Forces that have a link to Batman & Bruce Wayne's past.

"I can't kill you. But, I'm not going to save you."

After the horrendous "Batman & Robin", I thought this was the end for the "Batman" films. There were some rumblings about trying to do something with "Batman" in the late 90's, but, nothing concrete to go on. With the success of "Spider-Man" & the "X Men" films, & not wanting to let the latest comic book to movie fad pass them by, Warner Bros. gave the greenlight for a new "Batman" film.

"Why do we fall?"
"So that we learn to pick ourselves up."
"I thought you'd given up on me."
"Never."

Christopher Nolan agreed to direct the film, after being influenced by the "Batman" comic serial "The Long Halloween" (starting in 2000 "The Long Halloween" spanned over a year & is considered to be one of the best "Batman" stories of the new millenium). With great respect towards the DC comic & it's long running legacy, Nolan began searching for the new Batman.

He found Batman in the form of Christian Bale. Bale's resume includes the cult film "American Psycho", as well as "Reign of Fire" & "The Machinist". Out of the four actor's who have portrayed the character, for me, Bale is the best Batman (Keaton comes in second, Kilmer third, & Clooney gets the consolation gift). He brings a certain physicality to the role that was somehow missing in the past. Bale, also, seemed to slip into the role easily, since he played this sort of character in the past. A dark revelation that's a bit uncomfortable, is that Patrick Bateman is no Batman but, both Bateman & Bruce Wayne have dual personalities.

The rest of the cast is terrific. Michael Caine gracefully takes over for the great Michael Gough as the butler, Alfred, bringing warmth & charm to the fatherly figure that Bruce needs.
Katie Holmes is perfect as Rachel Dawes, instead of being the usual Bat-dame, she gives the role smarts.
Rounding out the cast is Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox, Cillian Murphy, Rutger Hauer, & in an awesome role that I hope he reprises in the sequel (like there isn't gonna be one?!), Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordan. Oldman nailed the part of Gordan so well it gave me the creeps. From the feathered back graying hair, the bushy moustache, & the classic glasses & weather beaten trenchcoat Gordan jumped out of the comic book & right onto the screen. Oldman's performance is that good.

I really didn't have any problems with "Batman Begins", like I did with the other "Batman" films. With Tim Burton's two "Bat" films the problem, for me, was that even though the films were dark & gothic (that's not the problem) it was that the films seem to take place in a different part of history, in a different place, just off kilter. Don't get me started with the two Schumacher films! I would be here all day!

"Batman Begins" hits DVD on October 18th.
I hope it comes in black.

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