Batman Begins (2005)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers (WGA):

Bob Kane (characters)
David S. Goyer (story)

Release Date:

15 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

The story of how Bruce Wayne became what he was destined to be: Batman.

Plot Keywords:

Batman | Gotham | Fear | Ninja | Bat

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 38 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 10

5:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Michael Caine	...	Alfred
Liam Neeson	...	Henri Ducard
Katie Holmes	...	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	...	Jim Gordon
Cillian Murphy	...	Dr. Jonathan Crane
Tom Wilkinson	...	Carmine Falcone
Rutger Hauer	...	Earle
Ken Watanabe	...	Ra's Al Ghul
Mark Boone Junior	...	Flass
Linus Roache	...	Thomas Wayne
Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
Larry Holden	...	Finch
Gerard Murphy	...	Judge Faden
Colin McFarlane	...	Loeb

Also Known As:

Batman 5 (USA) (working title)
Batman Begins: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Batman: Intimidation (USA) (original script title)
The Intimidation Game (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Indonesia:Dewasa | Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | India:UA | Malaysia:U | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | Chile:Y7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Denmark:11 | South Korea:12 | South Africa:13V | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:10 | Greece:K-13 | Philippines:G | New Zealand:M | Czech Republic:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, London, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Instances with just one or two bats in the shot (such as the single bat gone astray inside Wayne's mansion) uses real bats, but each scene with a flock of bats had to be done using CG bats, since it was decided too difficult to control that many bats at once.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: After the funeral for his parents, young Bruce Wayne waves to young Rachael Dawes from a Wayne Manor window. From Bruce's P.O.V., we see a modern-era Buick sedan behind Rachael. But isn't this the past? Given the surroundings of the film in the present-tense (c. 2005), shouldn't the automobiles in the past (when Bruce was a child) be from the 1980s?

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne - age 8: Rachel, let me see! Can I see?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Yes Man (2008)

Soundtrack:

Divertimento in D Major, K.136 (2nd movement)

The greatest BATMAN movie ever!

BATMAN BEGINS (2005)

starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe.

plot: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has lost his parents when he was young and trained with the great Ducard (Liam Neeson). He returns to Gotham and wins his parent's fortune, manor and business, Wayne Enterprizes. Now, with the help of an old friend of his family (Morgan Freeman), Bruce becomes Batman by night, a dark hero who fights crime in a city where the good people do nothing. Batman is thrust into a war with his first major enemy, The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), only to discover that the evil villain is working for someone much more powerful from Bruce's past.

the good: Wow, for the last 13 years I held Tim Burton's BATMAN RETURNS above every BATMAN film, and every film for that matter. It was a great film, and it still is. But it was not the true BATMAN that I thought it was. I have just came back from seeing this film, BATMAN BEGINS, and it beats BATMAN RETURNS by a long-shot.

As much as I love Michael Keaton's portrayal as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Christian Bale beats them all! He's great as the millionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, and also as the dark, bad-ass Batman. He treats Bruce and Batman like two completely different characters, even better than both Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer! He also sports the best costume, and an awesome bat mobile.

Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are also great replacements for Michael Gough and Pat Hingle as Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon. Caine turned out just as great as Gough as the butler/father figure, but Gordon put a more humorous touch on the character which did not disappoint me!

Cillian Murphy is equally great as the villain, The Scarecrow, who freaks me out and leads to some creepy/cool trippy horror-like scenes. Katie Holmes is also here as the love interest, she was OK, not as bad as people say but still a little off. The rest of the cast also handles their parts perfectly!

Christopher Nolan's direction was the best because it managed to be dark and gloomy like Burton's, only a little more realistic!

The score and action are also honorable mentions for this film.

But in the end, what makes this the best is Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer were also great, but the way I see it, Bale is the definitive Batman!

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