Batman Begins (DVD)

It could so easily have been a committee-approved paddle in the shallow end of an over-milked franchise. What makes Batman Begins special is vision. Top to bottom, director Christopher Nolan has taken the story of Bruce Wayne’s journey from orphan rich-kid to urban vigilante and made it his own.

As told in the Genesis Of The Bat doc, Nolan thrashed out the whole thing in the matey intimacy of his garage, holing up with co-writer David Goyer and production designer Nathan Crowley. They worked in obsessive secrecy, even inventing a leakable script (The Intimidation Game) and hosting cast readings from a single screenplay – no photocopying allowed.

The control-freakery cuts through – and benefits – the entire movie. It’s not so much hands-on as hand-crafted. Nolan had first and final say on everything: the glossy, hyper-real Gotham vibe (“New York on steroids”); the character motivation (“extreme aversion therapy”); the down-and-dirty, elbows-and-haymakers scrapping style (“We’ve seen too much wire combat in films. Violence has lost its threat – I wanted to roughen it up”). Much to his engineers’ anguish, he even had clear demands on how the cockpit of the freshly styled, Lamborghini-meets-Monster-Truck Batmobile should open (“like the petals of a flower”).
Nolan’s masterstroke is the way he drains the character of all camp and kitsch, gradually shading in the origins with a patient but pacy first hour of foreplay before we get anywhere near the Bat – costume or man. Eventually, as Hans Zimmer’s searing, non-brassy score burrows to the emotional core of the story (grief, loss, revenge, rebirth), Nolan fires off a breathtaking flurry of money shots: Wayne lost in primal reverie at the centre of a swirling cyclone of bats; Batman as dark denizen, perched on a tower overlooking the rotting city he’s destined to redeem...

Split into themed sections, the Making Of is a faintly disappointing patchwork of promo and new-ish, but all the key players are terrific value. Method man Christian Bale laughs about how he came to the film fresh from the starvation chic of The Machinist (“I bulked up a little too much. They said, ‘What are we making: Batman or Fatman?’”). Nolan is erudite and fighty on one of the key criticisms: the film’s jittery fight-scene editing (“I wanted to keep a fleeting, criminal’s eye-view of Batman, to make him unknowable and frightening. Those fights can’t be neatly choreographed. They need to feel raw and animalistic”).

Clanging action; glitzy supporting cast; fan-faithful; deeper, darker, earthier... and, most unusual for a comic-book adap, a sharp, eloquent script that cuts right through the dress-up games to smuggle in a few keen human truths. Scoffs about Katie Holmes and yet another set-piece subway-train scrap aside, Batman Begins is a rare beast: a blockbuster with balls and brains.

Bought it for my Grandson who loves Batman, wanted him to see how it all began.
All the family enjoyed it. We loved the fights

Bought the film for my son we both enjoyed it and, thought it to be best batman movie made to date. In particular liked the fact that there were no super powers involved it was as realistic as possible.

My eldest brother asked me to buy this movie. Since I was not a big fan of Batman I did purchase it afterall after being convinced by big bro.
I have to say the movie is awesome! Nothing like any previous batman movies or cartoons I have ever seen. It is very realistic and no super extra powers or fairy tale graphics. It is based in real life situatuons with real life actions.
Watch it if you haven't you will see what i mean.
Tej

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I have never been a fan of superhero movies but this one was done brilliantly, he gets hurt he's angry and the cast is never ending with top actors. It made it more believeable than the normal type of movies

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i have watched the earlier films and din`t like them so by buying this one i hope there had been a improvement.
Luckly i was not disappointed and the film was great, the effects with the bats are wow and the action shots are owesome.

You need to see this if you havnt already, its class. and then if you like this.....get the dark knight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought it was an excellent film and really enjoyed it.
As a child I loved the original Batman films with Michael Keaton so was hoping that this would deliver a modern take and it did brilliantly.

There's a new Batman in town, and he's younger and fiercer than before. The character of the Caped Crusader that Christian Bale plays so potently in 'Batman Begins' at last penetrates the dark and troubled depths of the Batman legend, creating a superhero who is persuasive as a man driven to dress like a bat to start fighting crime. The movie not only explores the origins of Batman as a character, but also explores the tortured path that led Bruce Wayne from a parentless childhood to a friendless adult existence.

Director Christopher Nolan has smartly stocked his picture with excellent, established actors: Michael Caine as Wayne's wise butler Alfred, Morgan Freeman as his business ally Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman as Batman's weary friend Detective Gordon. Do not expect Batman to flap his cape the second you sit down in your comfortable seat. Nolan here wants us to know the real Bruce and keeps the emphasis on character and story, and less on gadgets and high-tech action. The movie works dramatically in addition to being an entertainment.

Particularly interesting are the fight scenes – Batman is most effective when unseen, so he creates a real sense of menace and confusion, using the sound of bat wings, moving in and out of the shadows like a ninja. The set design is impressive with a great Gotham, its monorail and gleaming skyscrapers contrasted with the Narrows below. The end of the movie leaves us with a feeling that everything is perfectly set up for a great sequel...which by the way is out already!

One of the best films i've ever seen. If you have seen 'the dark night' you will love this. It is the first of the films and is just as good as 'the dark night'. Both of them are 5 stars. BUY THIS FILM.

Definately recommend this film. A good night in with pizza and a pint or glass or wine. A great addition to any DVD collection.

I am a huge fan of batman but i really disliked the older films (Batman & Robin )but this film was superb the storyline was genius and the acting was unique and was done which such passion . I would put this as the and one of best films in the Batman franchise of films .

Its a Must Own Dvd

Fantastic start and insight into the origins of Batman. Gives excellent preperation for the sequal - the Dark Knight - which I had the pleasure of being an Extra on when they came to film scenes at the Ministry of Sound, London. The Director is imaginative and talented and this transcends throughout the film.

Fantastic in my opinion the best batman film made!!!!! I dont think personaly there was any part that I didn't like throughout the whole move, the special features where interesting, all in all a great dvd that I would recomend, to Batman fans it is a must have!!!!!

Read comics as a kid and thoroughly enjoy it when the film version retains the atmosphere of the characters and settings. This film is more about the man behind the mask and I really enjoyed the whole thing.

I've just come back from a preview screening of Batman Begins. I went in with low expectations, despite the excellence of Christopher Nolan's previous efforts. Talk about having your expectations confounded! This film grips like wet rope from the start. I won't give away any of the story; suffice to say it mixes and matches its sources freely, tossing in a dash of Frank Miller, a bit of Alan Moore and a pinch of Bob Kane to great effect.

What's impressive is that despite the weight of the franchise, Nolan has managed to work so many of his trademarks into a mainstream movie. The story does not progress in linear fashion for the first half, and there are some truly spectacular hallucination scenes. Parents thinking of taking their young kids along, think twice. When we left, a terrified 8-year-old boy was being comforted by his parents. Some of what's up there on screen really is the stuff of nightmares.

Of the cast of Brits chosen to bring this American tale to the masses, Christian Bale convinces in his dual role, while Michael Caine as Alfred comes up with the humour just when the film is in danger of taking itself too seriously. Gary Oldman and Tom Wilkinson provide able support, as does Morgan Freeman.

Most refreshing of all is the way that Nolan and co have come up with a way of bringing comics to the screen that does justice to the often adult source material in a way that, say, Daredevil, tried and failed to do (although the director's cut is better). If the Dark Knight doesn't return after this, there's no justice.

This film easily trumps any live-action incarnation we've scene of the Dark Knight before, borrowing heavily from both the comics and the Dini and Co. animated series. This is a hard, fast, driving, heartfelt epic that draws you into the character of Bruce Wayne and makes you damn well care. Batman doesn't play second-fiddle to the villains here like in the other films. It's his movie and that's the way it should be.

Much has been said of the film's "reality" quotient, and I'm here to say it works. Nolan talks about how Batman's strong because he does push-ups, he gets around because of his gadgets, and by introducing each of them with a plausible explanation, we forget to quibble and go along with it. The technology may be fantastic, but it's believable. And, unlike the "reality" of something like Daredevil, Nolan doesn't forget his ideals halfway though and start having Batman wire-jump thirty feet into the air.

You get more then what you expected for a start!!
The Batman films were slowly getting worse until this film came out.
A very good film for all the family.

The direction, the acting, the special FX all fantastic making this the best Superhero movie in the marketplace.

We're now looking forward to the sequels and you can't say that very often. My eldest son loved the action and is now a Batman fan when he wasn't really interested to start with. Batman begins is a great introductory movie.

How the Batman movies should have been, told from the beginning,with gadgetry that was not too far fetched. Excellent cast, well acted and crying out for the dreaded sequel. An enjoyable film that really all the family could watch,with the violence remarkably toned down and without the serious bloodletting of many modern films

its good to see the dark night back in cinemas, and i have to say its a good effort, not as good as the recent superman returns though, i reckon its worth a watch all the same.