Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins (2005)

My daughter spoke very highly of this film. Had I not been too busy at the time, I might have gone to see it. I was a fan of the Batman series in the 1960s, campy as it was, and very impressed with the depth of Michael Keaton's performance in Batman (1989). But this film is one of the perhaps five finest, and certainly ten finest films that I have ever seen.

There are so many things right about this: the performances of Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, and Katie Holmes, were all spectacular. The script creates a powerful emotional significance to Bruce Wayne's actions, while creating plausible methods by which Batman can do the things that he does, with his time in the underworld, ninja training, and the gadgets from the Defense Systems Division of Wayne Enterprises! All of them are just barely in the realm of possibility (or just out of the realm of possibility).

Sets? Wow. Beautiful editing, especially the fight scenes. A thoughtful film about how the very human desire for revenge can lead people astray--and how the quality of a person's character can pull him back from the precipice.