Batman Begins

For someone who has watched The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, it's somewhat an embarrassment that I didn't start the trilogy with this installation. After all, it does give explanations to parts of the succeeding films, and build a strong, solid background as to where Batman really began. While everyone's been raving about the succeeding films, this one didn't get as much rave. It's a gem, actually. I think it lacked the marketing, at least where I'm from, as it came hand in hand with a Tom Cruise flick. This is a good origin story, and it does build up the story of the succeeding films.

Bruce Wayne has been off the grid for years when he met Ducard and got associated with the League of Shadows. He trained long and hard, but when it came to dedicating his life to the league, he gets a whip of the plan to destroy Gotham, ultimately abandoning the group and heading home. Back at Gotham, he assumes a masked identity and started to fight crime, ultimately trying to foil the league's plans of destroying Gotham.

I like this installment of Batman because it gives a strong foundation and a depth to the hero that would be known as Batman. It gives a deeper story to the origin of Batman, instead of just pouncing in the idea that he is Batman because he is. Nolan made sure that the elements he was putting in had some sort of explanation as to why it is there, and why it has to be there. With the way Bruce Wayne/Batman's character was built, it had a basis, thus having a reason to develop. Bruce Wayne just doesn't turn into Batman overnight. There was a lot of effort put into it, which Nolan has precisely shown.

Unlike the succeeding films, this doesn't have a strong force of enemy to be faced. Rather, it gives the story that would eventually conclude the trilogy. It fosters the connections needed to make the succeeding sequels have sense without continually repeating itself. As I've mentioned, Nolan doesn't introduce something that doesn't make sense, or has no connection to the logical movement of the story.

I can't say that Christian Bale is the best Batman. I feel that his performance has been overshadowed by other names, and I don't exactly identify him as Batman. However, I think that not being immediately associated as Batman does well to Bale's career, as he is neither typecast in a role, nor can't he guarantee success from the franchise. Everyone else gave good performances, but Cillian Murphy was definitely overshadowed by most of the names, though he plays a chunky yet still overshadowed role in the future.

There are still some logical loop holes, especially towards the end, but it does not hinder this movie to share its story, and how it will start the greatest Batman trilogy of all time. I have to say that this is an underrated movie, as most people just go on and on about the sequels, but never giving this a second glance. It might not be as fast paced, or action seeking as the succeeding films, but this built up all of that. This gave explanation to those parts that simply appear. This is a necessary watch to fully understand the entire trilogy.

Final Word: An underrated entry to Nolan's Batman. This deserves more credit than it got.

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe
Director: Christopher Nolan
Year: 2005