Batman Begins (2005)

After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Bob Kane (characters), David S. Goyer (story),

Stars:

Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe

Top 250 #108 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 48 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Michael Caine	...	Alfred
Liam Neeson	...	Ducard
Katie Holmes	...	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	...	Jim Gordon
Cillian Murphy	...	Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow
Tom Wilkinson	...	Carmine Falcone
Rutger Hauer	...	Earle
Ken Watanabe	...	Ra's Al Ghul
Mark Boone Junior	...	Flass
Linus Roache	...	Thomas Wayne
Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
Larry Holden	...	Finch
Gerard Murphy	...	Judge Faden
Colin McFarlane	...	Loeb

Storyline

When his parents were killed, millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne relocates to Asia when he is mentored by Henri Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul in how to fight evil. When learning about the plan to wipe out evil in Gotham City by Ducard, Bruce prevents this plan from getting any further and heads back to his home. Back in his original surroundings, Bruce adopts the image of a bat to strike fear into the criminals and the corrupt as the icon known as 'Batman'. But it doesn't stay quiet for long.

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Plot Keywords:

gotham | fear | fight | scarecrow | mafia | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros [France]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Urdu Mandarin

Release Date:

15 June 2005 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Batman: Le commencement

Filming Locations:

Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury, Essex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$119,727 (Sweden) (19 August 2005)

Gross:

$205,343,774 (USA) (28 October 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Syncopy, DC Comics

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 128 min (default)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's marketing costs - $100 million - were at the time the most ever spent on one film.

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Goofs

As Bruce is spraying the Batsuit with black paint, he first sprays down the arms and across the neck. In the next shot, we see him coating the chest, but the arms are bare of any paint.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne - age 8: Rachel, let me see! Can I see?

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Crazy Credits

In some countries, the film title is shown at the very end of the closing credits, whereas in most other countries it's seen at the beginning of the closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #34.13 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday To You
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet

User Reviews

Let's get serious...the real Batman has arrived!...

BATMAN BEGINS lives up to what I heard about it being a "darker" version, with much less reliance on flippant one-liners or gags, the result being a more realistic feel for what might have been.

From the very start, there is a nice chemistry between Alfred, the butler (superbly played by Michael Caine) and Bruce Wayne (excellent job by Christian Bale). The humor is of the gentle kind, almost subtle in its implications, and it sets the stage for the more realistic flow of events to follow. There's a pulsating background score by Hans Zimmer and John Newton Howard that races along with the film, punctuating it in just the right places, at just the right moments, to give a vigorous punch to the action scenes. And there are plenty of them.

But the quieter moments are all extremely well played and given depth by real characterizations--not just cartoonish figures. There is depth in all of the performances with the possible exception of Katie Holmes, an actress who speaks in a voice barely above a whisper and fails to project the belief that she is an assistant district attorney. Miss Holmes needs lessons in projecting her voice.

Looming over the landscape is Liam Neeson, a distinguished actor who excels in his carefully concealed villainy. He is a force to be reckoned with and displays all of his versatility here. Equally effective in lesser roles are Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer as the Board Chairman that Bruce Wayne ultimately replaces, and Gary Oldman.

The story is forcefully presented with magnificent visuals and eye-popping sets that all have a realistic gleam and are yet stylized enough to give credence to the fact that this is all based on a comic strip character.

I can't praise Christian Bale enough as the man who dons that mask. He has all the strength and wily intelligence behind his serious good looks and makes the perfect embodiment of the action hero he is portraying. Firm of jaw, direct of gaze, he makes an excellent hero.

Praise too for Cillian Murphy, who makes the most of his Scarecrow role behind a mask of creepy blandness, underplaying his role (as most of the others do) so as not to become a caricature, as so often happens in these Batman enterprises. If it's a series of running gags that you expect--as from previous Batmans--you won't find them here. The thrills come one after another, set pieces that are astounding to watch.

Well worth the wait. Christopher Nolan has done an excellent job of handling his subject matter with great skill and flourish.

Warning note: Perhaps a little too intense for children, but adults are certainly going to appreciate the fact that the real Batman has arrived.