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: 49
Fresh: 31 | Rotten: 18
Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 969,838
My Rating
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
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Cast
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Christian Bale
Batman/Bruce Wayne -
Liam Neeson
Henri Ducard -
Katie Holmes
Rachel Dawes -
Gary Oldman
Jim Gordon -
Cillian Murphy
Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scar... -
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 -
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Batman Begins Trailer & Photos
All Critics (265) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (239) | Rotten (42) | 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.
Batman 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.
For all the hype about exploring Batman's damaged psyche, Nolan and Goyer haven't added much beyond a corny opening in which he falls down a well and is attacked by bats.
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.
Smart and entertaining, but also very violent.
...creative, energetic, imaginative, involving, and even a little inspiring. (Blu-ray Edition)
Its edgy tone and dark atmosphere coupled with its comic-book theatrics make it a winning combination for older children and adults alike.
Audience Reviews for Batman Begins
Super Reviewer
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- 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
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- Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow: There's nothing to fear, but fear itself!
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- Jim Gordon: I never said thank you.
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: And you'll never have to.
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- 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.
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- Batman/Bruce Wayne: You were on the board?
- Lucius Fox: When your father ran things, yeah.
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: You knew my father?
- Lucius Fox: Oh, yeah. Helped him build his train. Ah, here we are. Kevlar utility harness. Gas-powered magnetic grapple gun. The three hundred and fifty pound test monofilament. Wonderful project, your dad's train. Routed it right into Wayne Tower along with the water and power utilities. Kind of made Wayne Tower the unofficial centre of Gotham City. Of course, Earle let it go to rot. Here we are. Nomex survival suit for advanced infantry. Kevlar biweave, reinforced joints.
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- Batman/Bruce Wayne: Bruce Wayne.
- Earle: What makes you think you can decide who's running Wayne Enterprises?
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: Well, the fact that I'm the owner.
- Earle: What are you talking about? The company went public a week ago.
- Batman/Bruce Wayne: And I bought most of the shares - through various charitable foundations, and trusts, and so forth. Look, it's all a bit technical, but the important thing is that my company's future is secure. Right, Mister Fox?
- Earle: Right you are, Mister Wayne.
- Lucius Fox: Didn't you get the memo?
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Rex Reed's Review | 35 days ago | 7 |
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