Batman Begins [Blu-ray] Reviews

• Flesh and Machinery

  
  By A1TJPMB7N776WS on 2005-06-18
  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.
  
  
  

• Batman flies high in excellent BEGINS

  
  By A28ILXH590CMRJ on 2005-06-16
  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.
  
  
  
  

• Batman is back! **Updated review to BluRay edition**

  
  By A9LNWA25IM2DX on 2005-12-05
  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.
  
  
  
  

• They finally got it right!

  
  By A38SSDFJOUEFEE on 2005-08-16
  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.
  
  

• One more great title you can't get from Amazon

  
  By A31ROHKS24GA4H on 2006-09-16
  Batman Begins will be released Oct. 10th. Would you like to pre-order it? Well you can't from Amazon.
  
  If anyone that works for Amazon actually reads this, I would love some kind of explanation. In fact, you could put it on the same page as the products that are already released that you show as "not yet released." It makes me wonder if I made a mistake in becoming a Prime member. All I want is a little information.
  
  Other titles not available from Amazon but available everywhere else:
  
  Aeon Flux
  Four Brothers
  We Were Soldiers
  The Italian Job
  The Manchurian Candidate
  U2: Rattle & Hum
  Troy
  King Kong (2005)
  
  
• Knight of Justice, Night of Fear, Return of the Legend!
  By A1JKNVM6NAU13V on 2005-10-20
  Not as Cartoonish as past batman movies, void of any influence from the old TV Series starring Adam West, What started out as a comic book character so long ago...has returned with a true essence of what Batman, and Bruce Wayne, are really all about.
  
  HARDWARE AND BACKDROP: The gadgets and hi-tech toys in this movie make us think that things have changed...but really they haven't. In the old series, the Batmobile looked futuristic, and given the modern day presence the movie is in, The costume, hardware, and Batmobile are all not of some bizarre future, but of advanced science. Gotham is more than ever before brought to life on the big screen. Instead of a few dark alleys, we are introduced to the actual dark, subculture of the underground part of the city, where fear reigns supreme.
  
  FOREGROUND: Excellent part's of the story that are like a jigsaw puzzle, and piece together a solid, grandiose base that return our old favorites with far more depth. Wayne Manor, The Wayne Family Empire, Arkham Asylum, and the Batcave come through this incredibly woven script with sincerety, strength, and sound resolution.
  
  STRUCTURE: Batman, aka the "Dark Knight" was known to the world as an avenger of sorts againt criminals, driven by the brutal murder of his parents by a robber outside a theater all those years ago. Batman Begins applies the filler for the gap that was how he learned how to fight with something besides sheer will. The mountain top martial arts training center with the League of Shadows was superb, and fit the story well. Bruce Wayne trains here not just to learn how to fight, but also how to conquer fear. His training is an attempt that one day he will be used as the leader of a vehicle that will rid Gotham of crime once and for all. However, more happens within this subplot, for Batman is not on the side of vengeance or justice, but the balance between.
  
  CAST AND CHARACTERS: Christian Bale will make you quickly forget anyone else that has ever played the role. Beyond the physique, his voice and calm stare bring to life Bob Kane's creation from the pages of the comic all over again. Liam Neeson and Katie Holmes are also excellent in their roles.
  
  VILLIAN: Never before has a villian brought from the comic book to the big screen been so simplistic, yet so complex while attaining true evil. You will witness this when you encounter THE SCARECROW!
  
  Qoute from the movie: "Crime, Despair, this is not how man was supposed to live...the league of shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. We sacked Rome...loaded trade ships with plague rats...and burned London to the ground. Every time a civilization reaches the pinnacle of it's decadence, we return to restore the balance."
  
  Batman Begins is more than a comic book movie adaption, more than just a show. It's in EPIC TALE about justice, vengeance, and the balance that lies with the two between good and evil.
  
  
  
• The most overrated film next to The Shawshank Redemption
  By A2BDP3J5FHK5E4 on 2005-11-09
  My God the pain! Let's point out numerous flaws/stupid stuff in the movie:
  
  1. Why are there present interludes when we are watching the past? Why won't Nolan just show the kid Bruce and then the adult Bruce? It's pointless the way he does it. Oh wait I know why; he's a bad film maker. Sad that people mistake this for "good film making."
  
  2. The Scarecrow has about 2 seconds, and Ra's Ahl Ghul is so plain and boring. Yeah, this is a BATMAN movie, but come on, what is Batman without his criminals and bad guys? Some dork in a suit who whines and whines and whines...
  
  3. And whines... and whines. Batman is a pansy in this movie. "Oh, I fell down a well and some bats scared me. Mommy, help me! I might start wetting the bed again!" Too much gibberish about "fear" too. It's like who cares?
  
  4. No imagination. None. What's the scariest thing Nolan came up with with Scarecrow's gas? FIRE EYES! Bow down to FIRE EYES! Wet your pants in FEAR with FIRE EYES! Or worms... or a skull... I mean instead of putting something that actually scares people (a spider? a scary clown? snakes? etc. etc.) he puts FIRE EYES. All shake and tremble to FIRE EYES! Just watch as Batman glides and what scares the people? FIRE EYES. The movie is also "realistic" because Nolan can't but IMAGINATION and FANTASY into a FANTASY character. Ya know, making a FANTASY movie about BATMAN is out of the question!
  
  5. The fight scenes... are edited so badly it's crazy! People say this is from the victim's POV... well why was the fight scenes like that when Bats fought Ra's or when Bruce fought the Chinese people in the beginning? Why is Nolan treating ME like a victim (actually, after watching this "movie" I feel like a victim)? The argument makes no sense. The reason Nolan shot them that way? He sucks.
  
  6. How he got his gadgets... watching these sequences is about as entertaining as watching someone buying groceries at the grocery store - except here you here some idiot keep on making excuses and asking stupid questions like "Does it come in black?" But then again, this is genius film making! What is more genuis than watching people order stuff from their own company? Best Screenplay/Director/Picture award coming this way!
  
  7. The collateral damage. So Batman who wants to be silent and a dark knight costs about a billion or 2 dollars in property damages, risks cops lives and bystanders. And for what? KATIE HOLMES (who is horrible). That's right. Obviously she is worth more than a dozen cops and property.
  
  8. Closer to the comics? Nope. Not at all. People say "Well, the Joker didn't kill Batman's parents!" Well, Ra's Ahl Ghul did not train Bruce! John Crane is a teacher! Rachel Dawes does not exist in the comics! If anything, Burton's version is closer, even Bob Kane has admitted that's how he always invisioned Batman.
  
  9. The music is uninspired, with too much synthesizer and drums. Nothing special. No memerable theme like Elfman's score. Fits the movie though; dull, uninteresting, uninspired and boring.
  
  10. Doesn't need to be a Batman film. Replace this with Jerry Orbach and change a few characters names and BAM you have a totally different movie. Hell, you can even keep Ra's and Scarecrow and have a different movie; it's just too realistic. It's like a martial arts episode followed by Law and Order. It just isn't that great.
  
  The good things about the film:
  
  - It ends
  - It can be used in a suicide note
  - It makes me want to watch Keaton's Batman to feel better
  - It gave me a warning to watch it again or its sequel
  
  
• Flight of the Winged Rat
  By A2HII4U9WQ0XUV on 2005-11-03
  "Batman Begins" is a great example of what happens when good guys (Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman) go bad. And I don't mean dudding themselves up in a batcape and fighting crime: I mean turning out a superhyped, yawn-inducing stinker like "Batman Begins".
  
  So with that: 10 Reasons why the once-talented Chris Nolan's hopelessly tedious, depression/sleep-inducing greenish-tinted floater stinks up the joint:
  
  1)It's dull. Achingly so. It goes on and on, and just when you think it's about to exhaust itself and die---it goes on and on.
  
  2) It's dull, did I mention that? How can you make a story about a psychopath vigilante who duds himself up in a flouncy cape and tights dull? I dunno, but Nolan did it.
  
  3) It's Dark. *Really* Dark.
  
  By that I mean it's underlit: it's hard to see anything, because Nolan doesn't know how to light his sequences.
  
  4) The action sequences bite, hard. Why? Because the camera is shoved up against the Batman's left nostril: every fight sequence is close-cut, cropped, psycho-edited, and so tightly shot that you can't see who's BAMFING and BAPPING and THWAPPING who. So maybe it's best that it's so dark it's impossible to see what's happening because---well, nothing really is.
  
  5) The "Batmobile" (basically a huge, hideous, mutant farm tractor spray-painted black) drives around on the rooftops of Gotham. Yes, really.
  
  When I think Dark, Brooding, Vigilante Justice, I think the original, sleek, armored-up Batmobile of the Burton masterpiece. I do *not* think John Deere lower-40 special, tooling around amongst the chimney-pots of Gotham City.
  
  6)Batman (Christian Bale, who tries, dammit, he really tries) is played as psychotic yuppie (a la American Psycho), or a fluty voiced drag-queen. C'mon, listen to the Voice: tell me, if you were a Gotham criminal, you wouldn't die giggling.
  
  6)Batman doesn't loom, or hulk, or menace: he squats.
  
  Not crouches, squats.
  
  This is meant to suggest coiled rage: it suggests, instead, a man in the final, lethal stages of terminal, chronic constipation.
  
  7)Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) is in this movie, playing Qui-Gon Jin channeling Oprah by way of Dr. Phil. Oh, and Ra's Al-Ghul, evidently, is Arabic for "I wear cheesy facial hair".
  
  8) The chief villain, Potato Sack, wears a potato-sack over his head. No, honestly, a potato-sack. This is meant to just TERRIFY you, man, scare you senseless.
  
  Why does he wear a potato sack over his head? My theory: so he doesn't have to watch "Batman Begins" like you, chump. Oh, and he sprays his victims with some kind of hallucinogenic spray. I actually *envied* the Scarecrow's victims: at least they experienced an emotion other than sleep, apathy, boredom, or raw contempt, all of which this movie induces in spades.
  
  9) Katie Holmes and her hideously scary hands. Some advice, Katie: next time spend a little of the money you're blowing in the Scientology bunker having your engrams removed---on acting lessons.
  
  10) "Batman Begins" actually makes Gary Oldman (the once-and-future Commissioner Gordon) look like a silly, incompetent, middle-aged dufus---oddly enough, the target demographic for this silly, incomptent, middle-aged movie. How is it possible to squander the talent of the incomparable Gary Oldman? How is it possible to make a Batman movie into an incomprehensible, incoherent, mind-numbing snorefest that features a John Deere tractor tooling about on somebody's rooftop? I dunno, but Nolan does it.
  
  Things I'd rather do than see "Batman Begins" ever again:
  
  1) Drive red-hot pokers into my eyes.
  
  2) Stab myself in the face with a rusty knife.
  
  3) Sever my right leg and surgically re-attach it to my a**.
  
  4) Take a bath in a tub full of acid.
  
  5) Read the Encyclopedia Britannica cover-to-cover in a single sitting, in Braille.
  
  6) Watch "Gigli" again.
  
  Let the order go forth: all copies of the negative to "Batman Begins" should be burned, and the ashes sealed in an airtight container and shot into the Sun. Well, except one copy: round up all fans of this rancid, stinking turd, surgically remove their eyelids, and force them to watch this abomination over and over---forever.
  
  P.S.: If you enjoyed "Batman Begins", check out "Catwoman" and "Doom". You'll dig 'em.
  
  JSG
  
  
• Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies share my dread.
  By A1A535W556ROBQ on 2005-11-08
  After four tries it seems they finally came up with a Batman to remember. Christian Bale not only cuts a fine figure but gives the role the gravity it deserves, providing the much needed raison d'etre for the Dark Knight. Unfortunately, the plot was a bit far-fetched and not very well resolved. Christopher Nolan put together an excellent supporting cast with Michael Caine giving Alfred a nice comic touch and Gary Oldman as a young Detective Gordon. But, it is the extra touches which really make this movie, like Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, who helps Batman come up with the armor and gadgets he needs to take on the underworld of Gotham. I also thought Cillian Murphy did a great job as Dr. Jonathon Crane, the genesis for the Joker. However, I wasn't particularly smitten by Katie Holmes and Mark Boone Junior turned Flass into a joke, whereas he was a much darker and more sinister character in Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. It will be interesting to see where they take Batman from here.
  
  
• WARNING! Get the TWO DVD version instead!
  By A2A6JQVO5I5SLR on 2005-10-23
  I am a victim of this edition. I get the Batman DVD and figure it odd that there are absolutely no bonus features at all on it. So I check online to see why, and I find out they have a 2 DVD version that has bonus features, but for some reason, some stores are selling a single DVD set.
  
  Too late for me, I opened the set.
  
  I hope I can save others from getting caught in this terrible trick by the movie company to get people to buy this DVD, then find out there is another set with bonus features in hopes they buy the second set too and double their profits.
  
  The greed lately from these movie companies is unbelievable.
  
  Yet when they are FILMING the movies, you should see how many millions of dollars they waste and throw away every single day on things they don't have to, and how many hours they will take to shoot a segment that will only be on screen for 5 seconds, and many times not at all as it ends up being cut out of the movie anyway.
  
  But when it comes to the consumer, they want to get every single penny they can from them.
  
  
  
  
• Not Your Father's "Batman"...
  By A3EYOITBD7ZXOV on 2005-09-07
  I won't go on for six paragraphs about how good this movie is. In all reality, I would need twenty or more. This is THE definitive comic book movie of all time. It stays true to the source material, and as true to reality as possible. Be warned though, this Batman is not for the faint of heart. Clooney and Kilmer were laughable in their batsuits. Michael Keaton looked cool enough. But Christian Bale as Batman is downright scary. If you think Keaton pulling a thug close to his face and whispering just who he is was scary back in 1989, you've got another thing coming when Bale growls and hisses and hangs criminals upside down over the sides of buildings as they more than likely soil themselves. All of that, plus the villain (Scarecrow) makes Nicholson's Joker look...like...well, a clown. THis is not only the greatest comic book film of all time, but it deserves a place within the top 100 films of all time for it's cinematography, script, direction, and performances.
  
  Bottom line:
  Absolute paradise for Batman fans---and still a damn enjoyable movie for people that would say, "Bat-who?"
  
  
  
• Now they're trying too hard...
  By A2Z5RFU4DH3T0G on 2005-06-30
  There's a moment in this film where Bruce Wayne and Alfred go over the design to the batsuit's mask. The mask itself is sort of a bloated, hydrocephalic affair, making Bruce's head seem twice as large as it really is. Then there's the pointy bat-ears at the top. What are they for? One would assume that if you're going to go around calling yourself Batman, you'd want to resemble a bat. Ah ha! You'd be wrong, because those pointy ears are actually radio antennas.
  
  It seems to be the trend in films today to strive towards a certain hyper-realism with characters and dialogue. After two abysmal Joel Schumacher films with the Batman film series, the better part of the movie-watching world declared the series dead in the water, bloated by its own design excesses. This film seeks to go entirely in the opposite direction as 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman&Robin.' However, if those two movies go to the extreme of being overblown, horribly designed and poorly executed, this film 'Batman Begins' goes to the extreme of being overdone, dry and hollow, and poorly executed.
  
  The plot should be simple enough to anyone who reads the title. It is the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman.
  
  But just a minute there... why should we be so obsessed with how Batman begins in the first place? Batman says himself (quite incorrectly) "As a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting." Pardon the theology, but with everlasting beings, isn't it not so important how they came to be as is the fact that they exist in our world? I ignored this line completely. Not only is it meaningless, but the idea that Batman is a symbol for justice and hope for victims of crime is a complete misinterpretation of what Batman stands for.
  
  But hold on; who talks like this? We've been here with George Lucas and his new Star Wars films. I know of not one person who verbalizes the way these people do in 'Batman Begins.' Why write dialogue that has no semblance of actual conversation in real life? You're going for a high-mimetic style, why not make your dialogue to fit in? It's like they're reading out of some New Age, self-psychiatry manual.
  
  The problem is that too much of this dialogue exists in the film; and even worse, a lot of it belongs to seminal actor Liam Neeson. Why can't this poor man land a good role? His job in this film is not only to be a martial-arts instructor (Liam Neeson?), but also as a kind of Zen Dr. Phil. Basically, Bruce Wayne gets freebie therapy sessions while Neeson beats the crap out of him. Makes sense to me, especially since Neeson's character Ducard is a commander of the League of Shadows, a vigilante martial-arts group that's been acting as population control for planet Earth since before God was born. They plan on annihilating everyone in Gotham City because its just got too darn big. By the way, the slums in this movie give slums a bad image.
  
  After about an hour and a half of pop-psychobabble from Neeson and co., Batman makes his first arrival. It's quite thrilling to see the Caped Crusader on-screen again, but that energy dies down rather quickly once things begin. First of all, Christian Bale adopts this raspy, phone-sex offender voice with the mask on, which is corny at best. His main villain is the Scarecrow, played by Cillian Murphy, who is about as menacing as moldy cheese. The Batmobile is completely ridiculous to look at; like a cross between a Lamborghini and a Humvee. Why they chose this look, I have no idea. The batmobile in the original had such a unique style, and it was believable. I would never believe that Batman would drive this thing. What a stupid idea.
  
  The last part of this film is all mindless explosion, chases, fire, loud-noises, and close-up fight scenes, which couldn't be less pleasing to the eye. Also, I don't think I'm that old, but it was simply too loud to be enjoyable. I found myself, for the first time in a movie theater, closing my ears because I couldn't take it. I should not need to do that.
  
  Batman himself is now something of an allegorical hero. He claims he wants to be a symbol, and that his job as a symbol is to be this incorruptible image of justice in a world of corruption. Sort of like a light in dark places. Good vs. evil, that kind of stuff. How boring is that? Batman is a character who appeals to the outsider, the loner, the freak who gets shunned by society. He's about vengeance and personal vendetta, not about the lofty ideals of incorruptibility. Batman, by his nature, is a corrupted human. He dresses up as a bat and fights crime with a sort of mob-justice doctrine. Here in this film, he recruits Sgt. Gordon, and acts in concert with the police to a degree. This is indicative of our litigious mindset in the 21st century, believe it or not.
  
  What I find most ironic about this film is the fact that superheroes are part of a mythology, apparently, that fits in with our modern times. Batman is a kind of Zeus, or Apollo, such as Spiderman and Superman are. And yet this film, like the Spiderman films, seem to be concerned with making everything seem so ordinary and plain. When you do that, you suck the life out of things. The original Tim Burton 'Batman' was a success because it had a style, it had a particular energy in the script, and the performances were not overdone--merely spot-on acting from actors working with a director who had some kind of vision for what his characters should be. It seems as though Chris Nolan has gotten some sort of bullet-proof vest on him for doing "Memento" which was half-interesting in its best moments. This film shows that he should probably not be entrusted with the next film. And that anyone who thought this was good filmmaking should not be allowed to see movies.
  
  
  
• The definitive Batman film and an incredible film in general
  By A1ZMCLGK23FZIT on 2005-08-16
  Before this movie, Batman had never really been accurately portrayed on the silver screen. But, now he has... This IS the definitive Batman film. Not only is it a great superhero/action film - it is a wonderful film in general.
  
  Batman Begins is a reboot for the Batman movie franchise; it is in no way linked to the previous 4 movies in any way (and thankfully, in my opinion). It is an origin story of one of America's most popular characters and it delves into the character of the Dark Knight in ways that have not been seen on the silver screen before.
  
  We "begin" with a young Bruce Wayne and get a feel for the wonderful, loving childhood he had until his parents were tragically murdered in front of his own eyes by a bum on the streets of Gotham. We then follow a grown up Bruce all around the world as he learns what it is like to live without a home or money and as he seeks the means to fighting injustice some time after the death of his parents. We learn why it is that he chooses to become a man dressed like a giant bat and how he acquires the weapons and technology needed to fight the criminals of Gotham and to restore peace to his beloved city. Even the functionality of every part of the suit from the cape to the ears on the cowl is explained. That's just a glimpse of the attention to detail that this movie takes into allowing us to know this character.
  
  Also, we really get to know Bruce Wayne in Begins. He really has such a great character arc and we really feel for the character long before he ever dons the cape and cowl. Bruce Wayne/Batman is clearly the central character in this movie, which the previous live-action films failed to accomplish.
  
  The cast in the film is superb. Christian Bale does an incredible job as Bruce Wayne and Batman. As many know, these are really two different parts because Bruce Wayne is really the fake, public persona wheras Batman is when Bruce Wayne shows his true identity. They finally touch on this, and it is done beautifully. Also, Gary Oldman is wonderful as Lt. Jim Gordon - and thankfully this character is done in such an awesome fashion. He is Batman's only friend and a great cop on a terribly corrupt police force in this movie, the way the character was meant to be. Michael Caine really shines as Alfred and the character is portrayed wonderfully. Liam Neeson is spectacular (as always) as Henri Ducard, Bruce Wayne's mentor. Cillian Murphy is wonderfully twisted and creepy as the Scarecrow without being over the top whatsoever. And Morgan Freeman's performance is great (as always) in the few memorable scenes he is in. Katie Holmes also really gives a great performance as Bruce's lifetime friend and Gotham Assistant DA.
  
  As far as the plot goes - it is fantastic. You are really drawn into this movie for its entirety. Christopher Nolan and David Goyer wrote a great script with an incredibly touching and suspensful plot. Nolan also directed flawlessly. The action scenes are really incredible as well, and all of the action is necessary to the plot and extremely well edited.
  
  One of the most wonderful things about this movie is the realism that is consistent throughout the movie. Gone are the ridiculous neon lights of Schumacher's movies and the extreme Gothic tone of Burton's. You really feel that Batman could exist in this Gotham City - even so much that this movie doesn't feel like a "superhero" movie. It really goes above and beyond the genre to create a very realistic movie that all audiences can thoroughly enjoy and appreciate at the same time. It may be a little bit on the scary side for younger kids - but there is hardly any objectional content in this movie otherwise (which I greatly appreciate).
  
  This movie is a MUST SEE, in my opinion, and a MUST OWN for anyone who likes having great movies to watch any time. Check this one out. It is an extremely fine film, and one of my favorites that I have ever seen.
  
  
• I really hated this.
  By A11LBR6P1FIZEE on 2005-11-26
  I was about to see this in theatres because everyone was saying it was so good but I didn't have time. Since most others have gone into some plot and story detail i won't waste time here with that.
  
  So here's my take on this movie.
  
  Batman's costume wasn't that good. It looked heavy and the pointy bat ears were really short- which they aren't supposed to be. Since when does batman have a raspy voice? I hated batman talking like he had a sorethroat. I mean he's a multi-billionaire and it only costs like 2-3 bucks for a bag of cough drops. The batmobile was like a tank. The batmobile is supposed to be a car, not a tank. It's batMOBILE, not batTANK.
  
  
  Christian Bale as batman was good but not good enough. Batman is supposed to be like 6"2. Christian Bale is quite short actually, Katie Holmes was taller than him as well as the butler. I mean come on the butler is taller than batman!? The directors did a poor job finding an actor for this.
  
  The beginning is very slow however it is expected as the title says 'Batman Begins'.
  
  I'm no hardcore batman fan, meaning I don't often read the comics or frequent batman message boards, but I do know batman is supposed one of the most respected and intelligent heroes. Alot of people are forgetting what batman really is, and they are only thinking about the action infront of their eyes in the film. Batman is intelligent, he figures out mysteries he makes good descisions. I didn't really see any of that in Batman's character in Batman Begins.
  
  The plot in Batman was really weak. I mean we have already seen the train scene in Spiderman 2 why do they finish with something like that? I did not feel the climax of the movie at all as a I watched it. All batman does is battle his mentor on a train while it's about to go off the tracks. We've seen batman throw punches and kicks earlier in the movie! Why do they give us the same thing and people are happy with it? I'm tired of Hollywood giving us the same crappy predictable movies and everyone is happy with it. The story was alright but it was so dumbed down to typical Hollywood Blockbuster level with the unrequited love between Holmes/Bale with the worse being the end with yet another train hurtling towards the destruction of something ala Speed and more recent Spiderman 2. This was a remix of a movie abet better then previous attempts but that is not saying much. Alot of people liked this movie, I didn't. It was horrible for me I hope people agree with me.
  
  
  
  
  
• AWESOME High Definition PICTURE AND SOUND!!!!
  By A1PL8JA0TEHBVN on 2006-10-07
  Listen up!!!!
  
  Get yourself a HD-DVD player and be ready to be blown away with this movie... Great image and sound that will make you swear it is all happening in front of you.
  
  Beautiful colors and contrast... INCREDIBLE! INCREDIBLE!! INCREDIBLE!!!
  
  This film is a must have!!!
  
  
• Amazing, simply amazing
  By A2CHXSF5XEWM48 on 2005-08-16
  Saw this movie in the theatre 5 times, 3 of them on Imax. A must own dvd and quite an incredible movie. Make sure to pick this up on the day of its release.
  
  
• Finally, they get him right
  By AKSHVAT23AAVP on 2005-10-16
  This is how Batman is supposed to be. Batman does not arrive in a 4th-of-July-esque hailstorm of flashing lights. He appears, attacks, and vanishes. There should NEVER be a glowing blue bat-mobile. There should NEVER EVER be nippples on the bat suit. That is an atrocity. Possibly a war crime.
  
  The earlier films lined up four men too small to be the Dark Knight, and ended up making the films about the villains, not the hero. Batman Begins embraces the darkness spun around the myth of Batman in the decades of comics. Batman isn't cute. Batman punches hard. Bale buries himself in the role, and is the best Caped Crusader to ever play the role.
  
  With Bale, Holmes, and an incredible allstar supporting cast (Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldham) who combine for 3 Oscars & another 8 nominations, this is easily the Best Batman film to date, and possibly the best comic book film ever. Sorry Spidey.
  
  
• Origin of the 'Dark Knight'...
  By A18QA3A3UYWFU9 on 2005-08-16
  After the success of Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989), "Batman Returns", and the box-office flop[s] of Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" (which Mr. Burton co-produced) and "Batman & Robin" it seemed as if the movie franchise was long dead! But could there have been a way to resurrect the good ol' caped crusader without butchering the series even further? Director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale prove that the answer is yes! Much more realistic and darker than the previous four films, 'Begins' starts everything off fresh and new where we learn every single detail involving Bruce Wayne's childhood and the origin of the Bat Cave, Bat Suit, and of course: THE BATMOBILE!!
  
  Christian Bale (lead star of "American Psycho") takes the role of Mr. Wayne, who is traumatized by the loss of his parents as a child and disappears to Eastern Asia. There, he is trained by his master, Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson who also starred as Qui-Gon Jinn in "Star Wars - Episode I") of the Ra's Al-Ghul, in order to discover his true inner strength and exact revenge on his parent's murderer. He returns to Gotham City, only to find it overrun by dangerous criminals and other illegal organizations, thus causing his inherited company, 'Wayne Enterprises' to slowly slip through his fingers. With the help of assistant, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and fatherly butler, Alfred (a surprisingly excellent performance by Michael Caine) Bruce receives the Bat Suit and Bat Mobile for the first time, and swears his allegiance to protecting the innocent of Gotham!
  
  Now, Bruce/Batman must battle the forces of a[n] greedy crime lord known as Carmine Falcone and the maniacally deranged Scarecrow (a splendidly creepy performance by Cillian Murphy) Little does he know that he will soon have to face an even greater and familiar villian from his past! Will the 'Bat' be able to save the day in time, or will Gotham meet its doomed fate? Powerful acting, non-stop action, and AMAZING special effects highlight this spectacular epic flick!
  
  Without a doubt, this is THE best 'Batman' movie of all time and its predecessors do not stand a chance! (With the exception of the first two movies) I'm very glad to see a more appropriate and faithful adaptation to the original Bob Kane comic[s] because this is the way it was all meant to be from the beginning! In addition, Christian Bale makes the PERFECT Bruce Wayne/Batman and Katie Holmes did well for her part at the role of Bruce's girlfriend, Rachel Dawes. Finally, this is the #1 blockbuster smash hit of the summer and it's great to see a revival to everyone's favorite DC comic[s] superhero! I HIGHLY recommend this flick to any and all Batman fans and even those who are new to it! I cannot wait till the DVD release comes to stores in October!!
  
  
  
• CRUMMIEST I EVER SAW
  By A1JU644REKXCNO on 2005-10-07
  THIS MOVIE SUCKED BALE SOUNDS LIKE FROGGY OF OUR GANG AS BATMAN - FIGHT SCENES SOLID CRAP - BALE HORRIBLE BATMAN - WORST I EVER SAW - IF I COULD GIVE IT A MOON INSREAD OF ONE STAR I WOULD MOON IT!!!!
  
  
• Out-freaking-standing!!!
  By A2IO1ESNSIAXG3 on 2005-10-29
  I've been avoiding much of Holleywood's latest productions due to so many predictable stories, politically-driven plots, and mediocre acting so I did not catch this one in theatres. I probably would not even have rented it if my son had not begged me to do so. I am sooooo glad now that I've seen it. I'm blown away... this is not only the best Batman movie out there but one of the top five best action/adventure movies I've ever seen!! I bought a copy through Amazon before even finishing the DVD.
  
  Batman has always been one of my favorite superheros but one that has rarely been well captured on screen. He's basically a regular, more-or-less everyday guy who works out a lot and has some cool gadgets; sort of brooding James Bond in a mask and cape. This movie starts out by showing how he learned and perfected his martial arts skills. It really captures the soul of the Dark Knight. Christian Bale is a perfect choice to play this character. I can't say enough positive things about this approach, it's exactly how I have always pictured the character.
  
  The pacing nears perfection, the action is gripping and extremely well choreographed, the acting is top rate, the writing is fantastic, and the cinematography is outstanding. Rarely is a known story done so originally and well. I love the depth of the characters, the splashes of humor, and the low-key but everpresent moral undertones. It's neither preachy nor over the top. And, despite the fact that we all have a pretty good idea of the plot it is surprisingly original. Oh, and it's got Liam Neesan with a sword too; what more could you want ;-)
  
  I am also very impressed with how they show Gotham being very much like any large US city today yet demonstrate in a realistic and believable manner how a masked superhero and fantastic villians can fit in that context. I really hope this cast/crew/director hook-up again for a sequal as the calling card at the end perhaps suggests.
  
  Fantastic; heartily recommended!
  
  
• Liam Neeson's goatee...
  By A2M377P9ZS32Q on 2005-10-31
  ..is the most interesting thing about this film. it (the film, not the goatee) is long, boring, unoriginal, and overserious. Early reviews would have you think that this film has something new to offer the superhero genre but it doesn't. What the film DOES do is take the FUN out of the genre.
  1.it's long and boring: the film takes forever to get going. It seems like about the first 45 minutes of the film is Bruce Wayne sortof 'finding himself' - which is fine, but it's just so boring. We see him in a temple in the mountains talking uber zen psycho babble mumbo jumbo with Liam Neeson for what seems an eternity. That would almost be okay if the stuff they were saying didn't come off as nonsense. I can't believe Neeson could keep a straight face talking that trash. They finally start fighting eventually, but Nolan's style detracts from the effect he is obviously trying to create: excitement. It's hard to get excited or roused by action scenes shot almost in close-up. Remember the scenes in the original Matrix where Neo fights Morpheus in the gymnasium? that was shot from wide angles and you could really get into the acrobatic nature --the ballet if you will-- of the fight scenes. Batman Begins was mostly like watching two or more people fight in a closet with invisible walls.
  2.unoriginal. You get all the requisite action crap as you'd expect. Car chases, car crashes, more badly shot fight scenes, grappling hooks.. well basically that's it. Absolutely nothing you haven't seen done countless times before. The Batmobile flying across rooftops.. semi cool but not nearly cool enough. Since we've seen this stuff before you'd think the director would try to make it special. he doesn't. (we get it: the Batmobile is really fast n stuff.)
  3. Overserious. This might be the biggest flaw. Nolan needs to realize that a film about a man whe dresses up like a bat and goes chasing after a bad guy who calls himself the Scarecrow just ISN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN ALL THAT SERIOUSLY. That's why all the psycho babble crap comes off as so ludicrous. We don't watch this stuff for the insight it might give us into anyone's psyche.
  I'll reference the first (and by FAR best) Batman flick to close: that film had a few things this films wholely lacks. Style for one, and panache for another. The film had a vibe that just worked. Batman Begins doesn't work.. for me anyway.
  
  
• Let's hope this is also the end
  By A5EP9KLV6WEW on 2005-12-12
  This movie reminded me of a very long music video without the music (other than the bombastic soundtrack). The plot is very thin and rife with cliches, and the characters are very poorly developed. Christian Bale conveys anger well, but his character makes no other demands upon his acting ability. Katie Holmes is almost forgettable; what separates her from a thousand other 20-something starlets is not evident in this film. Finally, I understand that Gotham is a dark place; but this film is so visually dark that it is often difficult to discern the action. Only Michael Caine is palatable, although even his character is one-dimensional.
  
  I expected much more from Christopher Nolan, whose Memento and Insomia were remarkable for their complex yet coherent plots. Like John Dahl, Bryan Singer and Curtis Hanson before him, Nolan appears to be another young director with great potential who has decided to cash in on his reputation while he still has one.
  
  
• Officially Destroyed Batman For Me
  By A2ORMBJU6V5UV5 on 2006-07-07
  I hated this movie. Its not fleshed out, its just plain terrible. Although I still fully believe that Val Kilmer was the worst Batman, Christian Bale is the second worst. He whisper acts. Also he seems more like a actor than Bruce Wayne. He plays both with such a dullness about him, almost as if he does not really care. The story is about a bunch of mumbo-jumbo about finding the path of justice and blah blah blah. We are talking about a Batman FRANCHISE, not a Shakespearian Play. This is just a summer blockbuster. The morals are what barney should have taught you. This movie (not film) does not need to be o-so-moral or even o-so-serious. It should at least have a little fun. To me the movie is just a male version of Elektra. It has the same bad editing, the same "flashback to my tragic childhood" cut scenes, the same "I can take on 15 people at the same time because I'm just that good" action, but most of all, it has the same "I'm going to fool people into thinking that melodrama is what makes movie good" wishful thinking. The movie tests my patience and tries to treat me like a idiot. It was just a big pile of dung. Bruce Wayne has never been such a complete moron with zero common sense. One of the worst parts is that the movie contradicts itself. For example: Bruce Wayne's mentor tells him in one scene that his father is to blame for his own death because even though he has no skill he never acted to save himself and that its not strength that is needed for survival but the ability to try. In the very next scene the same guy says that Bruce is so much stronger than his father and that's why he is a survivor. That really makes no sense. Another example is how Bruce wont kill anyone because its against his moral code but literally 5 seconds later he kills a whole building full of people without blinking. The only voice of reason in this movie is not Alfred, but Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. She keeps trying to tell people what they literally need to hear (especially Bruce), but nobody ever pays any attention to her and instead just gets all bent out of shape by what she has to say. Also, the batmobile was the worst ever! It was like a pancake shaped, junkyard made, jeep with a roof. It was short and stubby. It drove like a pogo stick. It was so ugly. It seemed so redneck to me. It was like a mini monster truck and I fully expected Joe Dirt to jump out with a beer in one hand and a package of cheewing tabacoo in the other. I loved the first 2 batman's and even Forever and Batman & Robin were silly campy fun, but now I probably will never see a batman movie ever again.
  
  
• What HD is All About!
  By A2SA6LR78V49UV on 2006-11-02
  I purchased an HD-DVD player with this title in mind and it doesnt disappoint. This is by far one of the very best HD-DVD's on the market to date and even tho the brand is somewhat new, that is still saying something as there are a bunch of beautiful releases already. This is without a doubt a reference quality disc both in terms of the picture, Audio and in terms of extras and what the HD format can do that regular DVD's cant.
  
  First the picture and what a picture it is. It is a flawless transfer with absolutly stunning detail. The amount of grain is perfect with no noticable noise & no edge enhancment was visable throught the entire film. The skin tones are beautiful and the colors accurate. One of the most impressive aspects of the picture is the rendition of the color black. Black levels are perfect with plenty of detail seen in the shadows. The scene where he is spraypainting his batsuit with the black spraypaint has to be seen to be believed. I dont think I have ever seen the color black presented so perfectly in a home movie before and there are alot of dark scenes in this film so that is one of the reasons why this transfer is so beautiful. There isnt a single thing I would change with the picture. My hats off to the people that were in charge of this transfer, its one of the best I have ever seen.
  
  As for the audio, the Dolby Digital Plus track is amazing but the TrueHD track is where this baby really takes off. if you own the Toshiba A1 you need to update to the 2.0 firmware udate to be able to use the TreHD and its everybit worth updating. The Batman begins soundtrack is an awsome one in general, very heavy in bass it just a wonderful mix that adds an extra oopmh to the action scenes like any good soundtrack should. On the TrueHD track it sounded simply stunning. Dialogue was easily heard without sacrificing any of the other sounds and effects. Overall its the best TrueHD track so far and that again is saying something as Training Day had an awsome TrueHD track, it just couldnt beat out the power this soundtrack had.
  
  As for the extras, were presented with all of the extras from the 2 disc special edition plus the HD-DVD exclusive IME track (In-Movie Experience). There were some people who complained that this IME track wasnt as good as some of the others because some of the pauses between speakers were fairly long. I have to 100% disagree with this. When people on the IME track are speaking non stop and the IME track runs non stop you are never really given a chance to get into the movie as all of your attention is focused on the IME screen. With Batman Begins they made it so the IME track was active during the less important and less exciting scenes and inactive during the exciting and important scenes. What this did was allow you to actually get involved with the movie while at the same time get information from the IME track during the more boring and less important parts of the movie. They absolutly did this on purpose and you can tell alot of thought went into when the IME should be active and when it shouldnt. In the end it was unlike anything I have ever experinced before with a commentary track and when the movie was over I had felt like I had not only just seen the IME track but I had also watched the movie. It was awsome and really has me sold on IME. I thought that IME might be kind of gimmicky when Ifirst got into HD-DVD but it couldnt be farther from the truth. IME is the future of commentary tracks and there really is no comparison between IME and the old style of commentary.
  
  So to sum this up, Batmen Begins is a must buy if you own a HD-DVD player. Its one of the best super hero movies ever made and this HD-DVD transfer is the best it has ever looked. Put a big dose of amazing sound and a big dose of IME on top of that and you have what is arguably the best release so far for HD-DVD.
  
  Its releases like this that make me happy I got into HD-DVD right off the bat without worrying about the damned format war. as long as HD-DVD keeps performing at this level, I will be an HD-DVD supporter till the end.
  
  OrangeCrush
  
  
• The Dark Revenger's Time Has Come!
  By A1VYD8OKS7VICD on 2005-08-15
  Batman Begins is the fifth live-action movie since 1989 to bear the name of the Caped Crusader, but it might as well be the first. So completely does writer-director Christopher Nolan reinvent, reimagine, and reinvigorate this franchise, you may well entirely forget about the campy casting (Clooney as Batman! Ah-nuld as Mr. Freeze!), leaden dialogue, and nonexist plotting that Joel Schumacher used to try to kill off the series in the 1990's. (And please, don't even get me started on the Batsuit nipples.) Nolan, the auteur behind Memento and Insomnia, likes his thrillers dark and twisted, and this one is no exception. The incredibly talented Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Machinist) is riveting as Gotham billionaire Bruce Wayne, whose anger over the murder of his parents leads him into an intense study of the nature of evil, and ultimately to his emergence as a cowled and caped vigilante. The film touches relevantly on both corporate corruption (Wayne Corp. is run by an ultrasleazy Rutger Hauer) and on post-9/11 urban fear. Images of derailing trains and clouds of poison gas enveloping Gotham will bring chills to anyone who has watched the news in the last four years (or been unfortunate enough to have lived it.) The supporting cast is full of heavy hitters in fine form - Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, a sweetly subdued Gary Oldman (as Jim Gordon), an Oscar-worthy Michael Caine (wonderful as wry, indispensable manservant Alfred) - but for me the real standout is Irish actor Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Cold Mountain) as the fiendish Dr. Jonathan Crane, who runs the local asylum; in his supervillain guise as the Scarecrow, he is truly the stuff of nightmares (and just one reason I have to warn you, DON'T bring the kiddies to this one!)
  
  
  
• Finally they get it
  By AJVYHDKOQP8V5 on 2005-08-20
  DC is doing it again. Let's face it, when one pictured the "Dark Knight" of Frank Miller, did they expect a Cesar Romero Joker in Burton's Batman? No. Did they expect pop music and "chick's dig the car"? No. And who didn't think of "Scooby Doo Meets Batman" when Clooney pulled out the Batman Credit Card?
  
  Honstly I was expecting Batman V to have Alfred serving bat cookies.
  
  Finally they get it right! Batman is above all a drama. It is about the humanity behind these characters, not the joke cracking Webhead.
  
  DC realises that Batman is an intelligent comic. While certainly some of the character over the years were over the top, my generation found a Batman and his archvillians who were DANGEROUS. They were characters who were three dimensional. They were flesh and blood and could be coming to a city near you.
  
  Who doesn't laugh with the line, "love that Joker"? This time, Batman's enemy Scarecrow was a freaky character with an actor who, no offense, looked like Joan Rivers in cosmetic surgery heaven. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is.
  
  Batman needed to be fleshed out and in this film he was. Yes, it was more about Bruce Wayne. And Smallville is about Clark Kent. But this is what makes Batman interesting, in that he is an alter-ego, not the person himself. By coming to gripes with people we reach an emotional attachment, an in depth analysis of how they tick. We care for them. And this is the purpose of drama, which Batman is.
  
  I honestly have no desire to contrast Keaton with Bale,because they are two different versions of Batman. Keaton was good at what he did. In fact, when comparing to Kilmer and Clooney, give me Keaton all day and all night. However, Bale's Batman is what we have all been dreaming about, namely a Batman that showed true purpose and that became real.
  
  My apologies because I think most here have been much more eloquent and detailed in their reviews.
  
  Looking forward to the next one.
  
  
• Easily, without a doubt, THE best Batman Movie ever.
  By AEVVHC08YE8T2 on 2005-08-22
  When i first heard they were making a new Batman movie, i thought, it won't be better than the old ones. That was before i went and watched the old ones again, as I hadn't seen them in years. The first one in 89 was good, but after that, they all completely blowed. I mean, they just sucked. The acting was horrible, it was so stupid, it seemed like a comedy.
  
  Then I saw the trailer for Batman Begins, and it was amazing. I have seen the movie 3 times so far, not to mention once in IMAX, and am going to see it again. It was just awesome. At first, i didn't like the different look of batman or the batmobile, but you grow to like it, and now i absolutely love it. The acting was great, and Liam Neeson was a great actor for Ra's. I liked the new,tougher, almost criminal, Bale as Batman. He was a great actor as well.
  
  As the other review mentioned, the music for a movie can destroy it, or make it incredible. The old batman movies had freakin circus music and Prince, what the heck. Hans Zimmer is amazing with this movie. Already creating incredible soundtracks for Gladiator and King Arthur, for example, he was perfect for Batman. The music makes the exciting action scenes 20 times better. I honestly got chills when i watched this movie, it was so good. For example, the final scene of the train, the music made the scene so much more action packed. And the "scary" parts, or more disturbing parts with the toxin being inhaled by batman and other people, made THOSE scenes perfect as well.
  
  The new batmobile is simply amazing. When i first saw it, before i saw the movie, i was like "o no, not a dang tank!" But i later loved it, more than the old crappy ones with the flimsy "wings" on it. It is just more tough and has better gadgets, like the spike strips, or more spike balls, for that matter.
  
  Batman's outfit is much better in these movies. It doesn't look like crappy rubber or stuff like that, cuz its not. And the guy who said earlier that he can barely move his head, well, he moves it plenty. Compared to the old movies, he looks like he isn't even wearing the cowl. In the old ones, there wasn't any head movement at all, he had to move his whole body. Then there is his cape. This is the best cape ever made. Batman doesn't have to hold sticks out to make it look like his cape is up. He can actually glide on it. Its just so much better.
  
  Anyways, that finishes my review. This movie was the best movie i've seen in a long time. It makes me happy to know that it wasn't really associated with the old ones, and it isn't part of that franchise. I wouldn't want to be known for those pitiful attempts. I can't wait till the deluxe edition comes out. I also can't wait till the next movie comes out, with the Joker and all.
  
  
• The Dark Knight Returns
  By A1V0XRFXXUDGSK on 2005-08-29
  It can be argued the Tim Burton's artistic direction of Batman and Batman Returns could never be duplicated. But the good news is director Christopher Nolan does not try to remake any past incarnation of the Batman character, he creates anew. Being the director of films imbued with dark characters (Following, Momento, Insomnia) Nolan is the perfect choice to take on the Dark Knight. And for those who didn't know the name Christian Bale before his turn here as the young Bruce Wayne/Batman, will certainly be taking notice now. Batman Begins is truly a new start for the Batman franchise. It may have too much story and too little superhero action for some viewers, but the fact is: this film could not have been done much better.
  
  
• The movie Bat-fans have been waiting for.
  By A10BWW5GU19AD on 2005-08-30
  I became a fan of the Dark Knight following Frank Miller's genius "The Dark Knight Returns" in the mid-80s. I loved the reinvention of the character, making him darker, brooding, and bordering on psychotic. It was this reinvention that most likely allowed the making of the original Batman movie, as well as its 3 successors. However, I found myself dissecting each of those movies as I exited the theater, feeling dissatisfied with each.
  
  After four previous attempts, two of them bordering on catastrophic, Hollywood has finally gotten it right. This is not your big brother's Batman.
  
  Director Christopher Nolan has stripped away all the flash from the previous two movies, making Gotham City appear to be more like an enormous amusement park, and made it the gritty, murky urban sprawl that Batman fans have come to embrace as the home of Bruce Wayne. We also get much more of a feel as to why Wayne is so tortured and driven to do what he does for the city. The character of Bruce Wayne is the focus of this movie, whereas the villains have been the focus of the previous movies. We learn why Wayne is so tortured, and how deep his psyche is scarred. Story holes are plugged that were left gaping in previous efforts. In time, I believe that Christian Bale will replace Michael Keaton as the general consensus favorite in the role of the Guardian of Gotham, as he truly puts the Dark in Dark Knight.
  
  Perhaps the best part of this edition of the Batman series is the long overdue establishment of the relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon, a police sergeant in this early stage of the legend. In previous movies, the character of Gordon was all but made irrelevant, and in some cases, a buffoon. Gordon is not only a tough cop, but is the only member of the police force that Batman will allow to get close to him. That element is presented flawlessly here.
  
  The acting is better than your average comic book flick. Christian Bale captures perfectly the brood of Batman, as well as the careless, playboy persona of Bruce Wayne. Katie Holmes does a good job in shedding her "Dawson's Creek" image, and handles the character of Rachael Dawes well. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and the rest of the support cast turn in worthy performances in their respective roles. The plot is thicker than previous efforts, and the villains' role in said plot is far from insulting to the intelligence of even a casual Bat-fan.
  
  While this movie has plenty of bangs for the buck, it does not feel like a gratuitous effort. Each special effect has a meaning, and if this movie's intent was to wipe the slate clean, and offer an apology for the previous four Batman movies, then mission accomplished. This is a comic book movie that does not present itself as a comic book movie. Each character and story element is believable, and I sincerely hope that the key elements from this project will be back for a sequel in a few years. If you're a fan of the comic, you will thoroughly enjoy this effort. If you aren't a fan of the comic, you just might be after viewing Batman Begins.
  
  
• Perfect Batman
  By A1BBT9XLKQDV81 on 2005-09-23
  This movie was so darn good I don't even know where to start. Batman is the "dark knight" for a reason. Something that hollywood apparently never decided to notice until two comic book geeks themselves (writer David S. Goyer and director Chris Nolan) were given the reigns to the best comic hero ever. This movie is phenomenal. It is the truest, and in my mind, the only, representation of Batman to ever hit the big screen. What does it do that the others don't? Many things.
  
  First of all, Batman Begins tells the story of Bruce Wayne. It doesn't just start him out as some aristocratic loverboy heir like every other movie seemed hellbent on doing. This movie lets us know Bruce Wayne BEFORE we know Batman. Knowing the man behind the mask is half the fun when it comes to superheroes and costumed figures. Without knowing an individual's inspiration for his actions, we're left to just think, "wow, this guy is some superhuman weirdo," but this has never been the case with Bruce Wayne. He is a normal (albeit extremely wealthy and intelligent) human being. He has no superpowers except his mind and his friends. He is a person. Goyer and Nolan captured this perfectly with Batman Begins.
  
  Secondly, Batman as Batman is more fun than ever before. Christian Bale is absolutely perfect for both the role of Bruce and Batman. He is an extremely talented actor who has honed his chops on brooding/buff roles in many of his previous films (see Equilibrium for example...it's basically Batman) and it shows. Christian brings a life and funness to Batman that was never really there because none of the others actors who have ever played him even knew who Batman was supposed to be. Christian's Batman is distraught, he's enraged, he's new to the game, and he's fresh and excited to be out doing what he thinks is good. Bale nails Batman, which lets Batman be the Batman all us comic fans have been craving.
  
  Finally, not only does this film have an absolutely stellar cast, but it has an amazing plot and great action scenes. Finally, a story that is interesting, intriguing, and worthy of being turned into a movie. And for all the comic action fans out there, there is action that is (for the most part) believable and very entertaining. Of course the Tumbler could probably never really drive on roofs, but come on, it's fun and it actually goes with the plot really well! Batman Begins is hands-down the greatest comic movie since the original Brandon Lee "Crow." Spiderman 1 and 2 were fun, X2, was a blast, but Batman Begins is a movie. It's perfectly executed on all accounts and should be viewed by everyone.
  
  

• The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
• Iron Man (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition + BD Live) [Blu-ray]
• Batman Gotham Knight [Blu-ray]
• V for Vendetta [Blu-ray]
• The Mummy [Blu-ray]