"It's time my enemies share my dread." (Review)

In 1989 I was in grade 9 and I went to the theater to see Batman with a friend of mine. I can't remember the exact details of where we saw it or how I felt watching it, but I do remember what I did for the rest of the summer that year. I went back to the theater and saw it again. And again. And again. There are only 3 movies I've ever seen more than twice in the theater; Jurassic Park, Star Wars and Batman. Tim Burton's vision of the dark knight was simply awesome.

Sequels were inevitable. Batman Returns came next and I remember thinking "What happened?!" Although the second installment was as dark as the first, it was much more twisted and bizarre. It just didn't feel right. Then we were served Batman Forever, this time with a new Bruce Wayne, Val Kilmer. A lot of people didn't like this one either, but I actually liked it. I think Jim Carrey's performance is what saved it for me. After that we had to endure the train wreck known as Batman & Robin. I won't even start.

Now, 16 years after the first Batman it seems like things are looking up for the franchise. Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the caped crusader, hit DVD a few weeks ago. I didn't see this one in the theaters (because I don't do theaters), so I was excited to finally be able to see the origin of Batman brought to the screen. And I have to say that Christopher Nolan (Director) has created the Batman I have always imagined.

Batman Begins is dark. Batman movies should always be dark. We're talking about a guy whose parents were gunned down in front of him and who eventually decides to dress up as the thing that scares him the most in order to terrify and bring justice to the criminals of Gotham City. Everything about Batman is dark. Batman Begins manages to convey almost every aspect of the dark nature of Bruce Wayne's journey to superhero-dom. Being a prequel we get to watch as Bruce enters a self-destructive lifestyle. We see how he eventually learned his near-supernatural powers and why he chose the bat as his symbol. My favorite parts of superhero movies are when the hero starts learning to use his powers. Watching Bruce put together his arsenal of weapons and gadgets and learn to use them on the streets and rooftops of Gotham City reminded me of Peter Parker learning to swing from his web in Spider-Man. It's very fulfilling and entertaining to see where these heroes came from.

The moment I knew this was going to be a great ride was a scene where Batman ambushes a number of 'cronies' at a warehouse loading dock. One thug slowly approaches the blackened interior of a cargo crate only to suddenly and violently be pulled inside, disappearing with a brief scream. Now that's how Batman operates. With fear. He goes beyond simply attacking and capturing the bad guys. He does it in a way that makes them afraid. Which, in the case of this film, is ironic, considering one of the bad guys is the Scarecrow; a character who uses poisonous toxin to incite fear and panic in his victims. Cillian Murphy does a fantastic job as the Scarecrow. He seems like a familiar actor, but I don't think I've ever seen him before. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the future.

Aside from having a great script, engaging story and wonderful direction, Batman Begins also has a number of big names. Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson and Rutger Hauer all play significant roles. I was extremely pleased to see Gary Oldman as Detective Gordon (in his pre-commissioner days) and Michael Caine is the perfect Alfred.

The Two-Disc Deluxe Edition is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video, which looks fantastic. This is a very dark film, as I've said, but the images come through clear and sharp. And the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also clear and filled with great surround effects and LFE (low frequency effects, read: sub-woofer). The movie looks and sounds incredible.

The second disc contains bonus footage and featurettes, which I haven't had a chance to watch yet. Sadly, there is no commentary for this film. I would have liked to have heard the director's thoughts on a number of the scenes, but perhaps he gives us some insight in the special features. A single-disc version of the film was also released (in both widescreen and full frame formats), but most of the local stores are selling each version for the same price. There's really no reason not to get the deluxe edition.

Batman Begins is the Batman movie we've been waiting for since 1989. I'm still partial to the 1989 version, probably more out of nostalgia than anything. And I still think Jack Nicholson's Joker was the most entertaining bad guy ever. But this new Batman is a fantastic and fun film. I am most pleased.

Batman Begins gets 9 cowls (out of 10).

Heroic trivia for 'Batman Begins'.