Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins (2005)

6/10

Starring

Christian Bale

Michael Caine

Liam Neeson

Morgan Freeman

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Batman Begins is not that great of a movie, I’ll have to say. It scrapes by as just okay.
I re-watched the movie, thinking that maybe I didn’t enjoy it the first time because I didn’t give the long introduction and buildup a chance.
This time, I listened carefully and let it build, but I still got the same vibe I had when I saw the third movie in the series, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). That one was also just okay, like this one.

To me, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy only produced one standout film: The Dark Knight (2008). The movies before and after feel like they’re just tying up loose ends—something I wouldn’t have minded leaving undone.

Batman Begins truly is the beginning of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. You have to endure the long road before Bruce (Christian Bale) finally dons the suit. What I really appreciated, though, is the introduction of someone like Fox (Morgan Freeman).
It’s hard to believe that Bruce and Alfred could have come up with all the gadgets and machines on their own without external help.
Christopher Nolan covered that plot hole by introducing a third party. Fox’s role is to create the suit, and as we see throughout the trilogy, he becomes Bruce Wayne’s Q (like James Bond’s gadget-maker).

After the death of his parents, Bruce grows up under the care of Alfred (Michael Caine). Eventually, he lets his anger and fear get the best of him and runs away to find himself.
He immerses himself in the underworld, fighting to survive and hoping to understand—and defeat—the life of criminals. It’s there that he meets a man.

This man is a member of the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s al Ghul. He introduces Bruce to the League, where Bruce learns martial arts and other skills to defend himself and take on criminals.
When the time comes for him to become a full-fledged member, Bruce can’t bring himself to do what’s required. His actions lead to the death of some League members, including Ra’s al Ghul.

Bruce returns to Gotham and, with the help of Alfred and Fox, begins his vigilante journey as Batman.
He tries to clean up Gotham, going after corrupt cops and uncovering a plot to poison the city—only to discover that the mastermind behind it all is Ra’s al Ghul, the man he thought was dead.
Now, he must face his demons.

The movie serves as the necessary foundation for Nolan to build The Dark Knight (2008) upon, and for that reason—and that reason alone—I believe this movie deserves a 6/10.