Released June 15, 2005
Streaming on Max & Netflix, For rent/purchase on all major platforms.
Genre: Action Epic, Epic, Superhero, Action, Crime
PG-13: Intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements
2h 20m
After 1997’s Batman & Robin, it would be 8 more years before we got to see a new actor take on the dark knight. The early 2000’s would give us Marvel’s Spider-Man, X-Men, and more, but those were superheroes with extraordinary powers. What set Batman Begins apart was the realistic approach Writer Director Christopher Nolan took with the character. I saw this film at a time when I was really starting to get into movies and before there were so many spoilers all over the internet and social media, so it felt like this masterpiece had come out of nowhere. This was before any Academy Awards or “Barbenheimer.” Nolan was mostly unknown to general filmgoers except for those familiar with Memento and Insomnia, so for Warner Brothers to go for his concept of a more grounded, realistic Batman was a bit of a gamble. Of course, it paid off, with The Dark Knight Trilogy grossing over one billion dollars worldwide and winning four of ten nominations for Academy Awards. The realism and dramatic elements are what make this film special. It’s not just a good superhero movie, it’s a great film. I walked out of the theater thinking, “I could become Batman.” Of course, I’d need to be a billionaire and basically own a city, but that was beside the point. The fighting style, the new batmobile (Bat Tumbler), the suit, even the villain, felt like elements that could exist in our real world. Perchance. I am no expert on Batman comics, but I’ve read a few runs here and there, so Christian Bale would not have been my first choice, but he remains a fan favorite as the caped crusader. If you want your mind blown, watch The Machinist and then Batman Begins. Bale had dropped down to 120 pounds for the prior and then built back up to 240 pounds in just 6 months for the latter. We also get Sir Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman teaming up with Bale’s Bruce Wayne, both characters adding some humanity to the title character. The only distraction is the whiney Katie Holmes, but somehow Maggie Gyllenhaal is even worse in the sequel. Maybe the character of Rachel Dawes is just annoying. Either way, this movie holds up and if you have not watched the entire trilogy back to back you should. The arc of this character in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises makes Batman Begins even better with a lot of elements coming full circle by the end. If you want to catch all three films back on the big screen make plans to visit Smokestack Theatre Company June 13 & 14. See the ad for more info!
Also released in June 2025: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Cinderella Man, Lords of Dogtown, High Tension, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead, War of the Worlds
