Batman Begins (2005)
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Reviews Counted: 265
Fresh: 224 | Rotten: 41
Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 51
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 19
Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 1,091,328
Movie Info
The origins of the Caped Crusader of Gotham City are finally brought to the big screen in this new adaptation of the perennially popular comic-book series. The young Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis) leads a privileged life as the son of wealthy, philanthropist parents, both of whom stress their commitment to improving the lives of the citizens of crime-ridden Gotham City. After his mother and father are murdered by a mugger, however, Wayne grows into an impudent young man (Christian Bale), full of rage
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Christian Bale
Batman/Bruce Wayne -
Liam Neeson
Henri Ducard -
Katie Holmes
Rachel Dawes -
Gary Oldman
Jim Gordon -
Cillian Murphy
Dr. Jonathan Crane/S... -
Tom Wilkinson
Carmine Falcone -
Rutger Hauer
Earle -
Ken Watanabe
Ra's Al Ghul -
Mark Boone Jr.
Flass -
Linus Roache
Thomas Wayne -
Morgan Freeman
Lucius Fox -
Gus Lewis
Bruce Wayne (age 8) -
Michael Caine
Alfred Pennyworth -
Sara Stewart
Martha Wayne -
Larry Holden
D.A. Fisk -
Richard Brake
Joe Chill -
ADVERTISEMENT
Batman Begins Trailer & Photos
All Critics (265) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (224) | Rotten (41) | DVD (57)
Nolan takes an admirable stab at developing a character-driven drama, only to give in to generic action-movie conventions with a blinding, deafening, explosion-laden finale that could have capped off any number of interchangeable Jerry Bruckheimer flicks.
Top CriticBatman Begins summons up moments of great eloquence and power. If only its cast of characters was as fully inhabited as its turbulent city.
It's not just the birth of Batman we're seeing in this triumphant interpretation, it's also the dawning of Gotham City's age of greed.
Here's how any great franchise should start: with care, precision and delicately wrought atmosphere.
A nonstarter.
Without the biff! bang! pow! of pop signifiers, this intelligent, well-made film is too heavy to transport us anywhere but down the dark hole of its good intentions.
If there is one Batman film anyone should see, this is it. It's a superhero film with a dark tone that's very well-written with nothing but incredible actors involved.
Every so often, it's time to re-boot Batman.
It may be too scary intense for younger children, but for everyone else Batman Begins is just about the perfect summer movie.
A moody and visually stimulating superhero film, Batman Begins sees the Dark Knight finally giving the treatment and respect he deserves, in what can only be described as one of the greatest re-vamps given to an enduring character.
Drained of its color, the franchise rediscovered its valor, landing the caped crusader his finest motion picture effort to date. And the ending? Oh, that ending.
So much is rich with ingenuity and daring that its constant missteps are exceptionally glaring.
They finally got it right. Finally.
A blast of energy that reinvents the Dark Knight for a new generation of film-goers.
An impressive cinematic renaissance for DC Comics' Dark Knight, and a blockbuster with more intelligence than most.
Sweeping all questions aside, Batman Begins does rekindle the franchise: it will be commercially possible to remake Batman stories with this persona and this set of psychological principles underpinning a new series of films.
There has never yet been a Batman story with quite this kind of psychological trauma. If Ingmar Bergman had ever directed a superhero movie, it would have looked quite a bit like this.
Its edgy tone and dark atmosphere coupled with its comic-book theatrics make it a winning combination for older children and adults alike.
Not only do we see Gotham in the daylight, but Christian Bale may also be the first Bruce Wayne who's more at home crouching in a monastery with his hair in his eyes than attending a dinner party for which he'd have to trim his nails.
The movie takes such time and care to set up Bruce/Batman that it's a bit of a bummer when it launches into summer-movie overdrive.
Mr. Nolan's assured direction and pacing keep the movie feeling brisk even at its two-plus hour running time.
Works splendidly because it dispenses with the idea that Batman's archenemies have to be quirky, colorful, superficial savants, àla the campy television series from the sixties.
A fragmented tale with a disconnect between sulking mood pieces and hi-tech urban warfare, whose logic always seems to be beside the point.
Audience Reviews for Batman Begins
Super Reviewer
Movies Like Batman Begins
-
- Rachel Dawes: It's not who we are but what we do that defines us.
-
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
-
- Henri Ducard: You finally learned to do what is necessary.
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you
-
- Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow: There's nothing to fear, but fear itself!
-
- Jim Gordon: I never said thank you.
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: And you'll never have to.
-
- Henri Ducard: Don't be afraid, Bruce. Come on. Come on. You are just an ordinary man in a cape. That's why you couldn't fight injustice, that's why you can't stop this train
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: Who said anything about stopping it?
- Henri Ducard: You never learned to mind your surroundings! Have you finally learned to do what is necessary?
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: I won't kill you but I don't have to save you.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Rex Reed's Review | 24 days ago | 9 |
| Ken Tucker's review | 2 months ago | 1 |
What's Hot On RT
New Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Naomi Watts is Princess Di
Gravity sets new record
Trailer for a squirrely heist flick
See what's on TV tonight
Latest News on Batman Begins
May 22, 2013:
Comic Book Movies You Can Watch OnlineComic book movies are all the rage these days, and every year we see more of them hitting theaters...
February 28, 2012:
How Batman vs. Superman Helped Create Batman BeginsA new update to David Hughes' book looks at how Christopher Nolan's Bat-franchise rose out of...
July 13, 2010:
Tomatometer Watch: Inception Gets First Rotten Review"From the director of 'The Dark Knight'." Those words impart some serious expectations for...
Fresh Links
Featured
Halloween Movies For Wimps
Scary movies too scary for you? Here are some alternatives for October 31st.
10 Best Superhero TV Shows
HitFix combs through TV history to compile a superpowered list.
Ridiculous Movie Mistakes
RollingStone proves even the best movies miss a details here and there.
Deadly Movie Kids
Moviefone lists 11 Movie Kids Who Could Kick Our Asses.
50 States, 50 Movies
For July 4th, TimeOut has compiled 50 state-specific movie choices.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- Primetime Preview: Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow and More 0
- NYFF: Joaquin Phoenix and James Gray talk The Immigrant 1
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Gravity Stuns with Record $55M Launch 43
- Primetime Preview: Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time and More 2
- Weekly Ketchup: Disney Plans Live Action Cruella de Vil Movie 36
- Primetime Preview: Last Man Standing, The Neighbors and More 5
- Critics Consensus: Gravity is Certified Fresh 68
Top Headlines
