Batman Begins

Warner Brothers presents

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Rating: *****

Plot: We follow Bruce Wayne as he travels not only literally but mentally trying to find an answer to what vengeance and justice mean. We witness how as a young boy he found an interest in bats, we see his parents were real people, and we watch them die. Not giving up these horrible memories Wayne travels around the world to find Ducard played by Liam Neeson who trains him to not fear and to use power against it. Using his new powers Wayne returns to Gotham with a new purpose. We witness him transform into Batman. One of the greatest movies this nerd has ever seen ensues.

Acting: Personally I've enjoyed Christian Bale since I first saw him in American Psycho, his performance was amazing and very interesting. Later seeing him in sci-fi action films like Reign of Fire and a personal favorite of mine Equilibrium I realized how much I really liked this actor. Now the public can see why I enjoyed his talents. Bale is not like Kilmer or Clooney who were placed to be Batman. Bale is Bruce Wayne and it does not take the audience long to believe it. Unlike the others Batman films where Wayne's character is hidden in darkness we face him head on here, learning why exactly would one dress up like a big bat and kick a lot of ass. Bale's talent here is impressive on not only the fact does his acting make one understand the pain the character of Bruce Wayne feels but also takes the character out of the huge name that it is. Playing Wayne is almost like being James Bond but instead of making Bruce Wayne the character which everyone thought he was, he makes it personal, makes a connection that I thought I'd never see in one of these films. The rest of cast also is top notch here, Liam Neeson, always great I don't need to tell you that. Michael Caine, inspired casting for Alfred, he almost steals several scenes with his brand of comedy. Morgan Freeman is charming as Lucious Fox. Now Katie Holmes has been getting a real bad wrap lately, because of her work on Dawson's Creek and her relationship with Tom Cruise. Everyone wondered how'd she fair in this movie, and she isn't just fine, she's great her character made sense and was believable, after this film I hope all the attacking on her will cease because this young lady can act. Okay and Gary Oldman, I love the fact that he is back and he is amazing as Gordon, comic fans will simply have a heart attack watching this guy, perfect, just perfect. Cillian Murphy will be a famous character soon I promise, he was one of the only good things about 28 Days Later and his performance here is creepy, in a good way. Where other actors playing Bat bad guys before they had to go over the top. Jack Nicholson's Joker, Jim Carry's Riddler, Arnold's Mr. Freeze, all over the top. Murphy plays Scarecrow just right, he's a crazy mother fucker and he makes you believe that.

Directing/Writing: Batman and Robin was a basket filled with mess that had a stick of TNT dropped in it. Paying homage to the old television show was not only a bad idea but a horrible one. That one film killed this franchise for almost a decade. Well Warner Brothers got things right. I've loved Christopher Nolan since I saw Memento, I liked the Following and really enjoyed Insomnia. I remember when I heard he was directing Batman, I first thought it couldn't be true, but thank God it was. I can't even really explain why the movie is that good, I saw it about an hour ago and it all still sinking in. First off everything is well paced and dark like it should be. Tim Burton's Batman films were dark and had brilliant moments but there was something lacking. This film picked up the slack and hit everything right. When Batman attacks it is fast and almost scary, this is how it is suppose to be, Batman was scary to the criminals he would fight. The Scarecrow scenes are intense are the main reason why kids might not see the film because this movie will scare the shit out of them. Which is good I am tired of  movies backing down so twelve of thirteen year olds can see the film. This movie has balls and it makes it one hell of a good ride. David Goyer co-wrote the screen play and his work with other comic book films helped, he did write all three Blade films, which is a plus for the first two but a big minus for the third. He is good with dialogue and there are some truely funny moments in this movie and memorable moments. The action is quick I can only compare it to the Bourne films, but it makes sense, fights are suppose to be confusing and a lot of it is from the bad guys point of view. So it really works. This movie really just kicked my ass from start to finish, I can't wait to see it on IMAX.

Overall: Take it this way, if you don't like the film you are an idiot and your wasting your own time watching movies, it is that simple. This is not only the best movie of the summer, but probably best of the year and it beats Spider-man 2 as best comic book film. "He's here".. "Who?"... "The Batman".