Movie Reviewed: Batman Begins

Nolan: "If we make it more then just a movie, if we devote it to awesomeness, then it becomes something else entirely."
Studio: "What's that?"
Nolan: "Legend, Mr. studio executives. A legend."
And the legend is born.

Alright, in honor of the release of the Dark Knight Rises this coming Friday, I've decided to do reviews for the previous entries in Christopher Nolan's Batman series, starting, naturally, with where the legend began, Batman Begins.

In A Nutshell:
So, here we've got Bruce Wayne, heir to an absurd amount of money. He's got a pretty good life. And then his parents get killed, and it's sort of his fault. So, he goes all angsty for awhile, and then he winds up in the far east, where, after some jail, is trained by a mysterious man who looks a lot like Liam Neeson to become a crime-fighting vigilante. He then returns to his native Gotham, and, with the help of his butler Alfred and pal Lucius Fox, becomes the Batman and fights crime. Scratch that, he doesn't fight crime, he makes crime fear him. When he's in the bat-suit, he destroys people (no-kill policy is in place though, keep holy the 4th Commandment). And then Scarecrow comes to town, along with a few old enemies.

The Good:
Where do I start? How about with the fact that this IS the greatest portrayal of a superhero's origin story I personally have ever seen. It was. And before you guys troll me, yes, I am completely aware of the fact that this was not the origin story from the comics. But this was so freaking epic that if you care, you've got to sort out your priorities. Liam Neeson was perfect as the sculptor of the legend and helped make this origin perfect. So yeah, really awesome origin story, and that's especially because this is the first movie in which any actual screentime has been devoted to Batman's origins. In Batman 1989 they spent a solid three and a half minutes talking about it (as opposed to the 45 minute's the Joker's origins got). So when they do the origins and make them really epic, I'm a happy person.

The origins lead into the larger plot of Bruce Wayne as Batman, and like I said a little ways up, when he's Batman, he is a force to be dealt with. One of my favorite scenes in the whole movie is when they're at the docks and Batman's taking out those guys and he is messing with their heads ( Thug: "Where are you!?" Batman, right behind thug,: "Here"). You can tell he gets a little sadistic kick out of it, too, and I personally loved that whole "I'm gonna toy with these guys and beat them up" MO. The action itself is awesome, too. There wasn't one fight or car chase or explosion that I wasn't satisfied with, and frankly, Christian Bale makes Batman the badass we all want him to be. I also really liked the plot itself, with Scarecrow and the mob, and all that awesome stuff. So, great plot and action. What's next.

And now the acting. Christian Bale is an amazing actor, and he is the best Batman, and you all know it, too. I'm just gonna get this out of the way now: His Batman voice ISN'T hard to understand. It really isn't. Never once over the course of this movie or The Dark Knight did I have trouble understanding him. You people saying you couldn't tell what he was saying are just haters. Now where was I? Oh yeah, Christian Bale makes Bruce Wayne relatable and believable as a person, and you root for him. And as Batman, he's a total badass. I loved Liam Neeson here too, because, well he's Liam Neeson. I've never seen a Neeson movie where he didn't bring all he's got to the table, and this is no exception. Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow did well with what he was given, and he was actually sort of terrifying. Michael Caine plays old man comedy relief Alfred, and let's face it, we all love Alfred, especially here, because Michael Caine, well, is awesome. Him and Morgan Freeman (who was great, by the way) basically steal the show every time they're on screen. Katie Holmes was another person in the movie who did well with what she was given. Bottom line, amazing acting.

And then of course you've got the scene towards the end that hints at what's to come...

The Bad:
One gripe. One. Scarecrow was underused. He just was. Beyond that, no complaints.

Final Rating: 95%

So, what's your favorite superhero origin story movie? Comment below, let me know!

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