Batman Begins dids 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 officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian
Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi
Batman at Amazon.com
All Batman DVDs
Batman Begins 101: A Comic Book Primer
Where Have I Seen Christian Bale?
All Batman Comics and Graphic Novels
Batman Toys
Batman Begins Soundtrack Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)
DVD Features
The first disc is filled out by the theatrical trailer and a Jimmy Fallon-starring Batman Begins spoof from the MTV
Movie Awards. The second disc consists of eight featurettes (about 105 minutes total) on a variety of topics. "The
Journey Begins" covers the early stages of the movie, including the casting and how director/co-writer Christopher Nolan
brought in co-writer David S. Goyer for his comic-book expertise. "Shaping Mind and Body" covers Christian Bale's fight
training, and other featurettes discuss the sets (the Batcave is shown being constructed out of wood and sheets), the
Batman costume, the Batmobile, the monorail sequence, and the hazards of filming in Iceland. All the behind-the-scenes
featurettes are solid but somewhat routine, and while "The Journey Begins" is the widest overview, there's not really
any centerpiece documentary (all are 8 to 15 minutes, and there's no Play All option). Interviewees tend to be the same
throughout: Nolan, Goyer, Bale (the only cast member to get much face time), and other crew members (it's nice to hear
from the stunt people).
Potentially more interesting to fans is "Genesis of the Bat," which covers the comic books that influenced the film,
including The Long Halloween, Neal Adams's Ra's Al Ghul from the '70s, Dennis O'Neill and Dick Giordano's The Man Who
Falls, and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Interviewees include DC Comics editor Paul
Levitz and artist Jim Lee, but the latter's involvement eventually degrades the featurette into a pitch for DC's
All-Star Batman line. Filling out the disc are overviews of four gadgets and eight characters, DVD-ROM features, and a
variety of -art concepts. To get to the features menu, you have to scroll through a multipage Goyer-scribed comic
book, which is a good read, but you can't skip it the next time you want to watch the second disc. Note that the second
disc offers a French menu and French (but not English) subtitles for the featurettes. --David Horiuchi
- GIFT SET.
- Run Time: 134.
- Release Date: 8/29/2006.
- PG13.
- CHRISTIAN BALE MICHAEL CAINE.