Batman Begins (2005)
★★★½ — Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins arrived in 2005 as a deliberate course correction for a franchise that had collapsed under Joel Schumacher's watch, the Batman series having gone dormant since the critical and commercial embarrassment of Batman & Robin (1997). Warner Bros. handed the reboot to Christopher Nolan, whose reputation at that point rested on the tight, modestly budgeted thrillers Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002), making the $150 million commission a considerable leap of faith. Nolan drew heavily on Frank Miller's Year One comic arc and Denny O'Neil's Ra's al Ghul stories for his grounded, psychological approach, and cast Christian Bale, then best known for American Psycho (2000) and The Machinist (2004), in the lead role. Principal photography took place across the UK, Iceland, and Chicago, with the latter's architecture standing in convincingly for Gotham.
To get this after the shambles of the few films before... is impressive. A rock-solid reboot that laid the foundation for what would become one of the greatest trilogies in superhero cinema. Batman Begins doesn’t quite hit the heights of The Dark Knight that would come after, but it’s a dark, moody, and surprisingly grounded origin story that gave Batman his grit back after the campy chaos of the ’90s. Christian Bale brings a much-needed seriousness to Bruce Wayne. Haunted, focused, and believably unhinged beneath the mask. The supporting cast is stacked: Michael Caine is pitch-perfect as Alfred, Liam Neeson adds gravitas as Ra’s al Ghul, and Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow is delightfully creepy, even if underused (should have been the main villain) The pacing can drag a bit in the first half, and the third act leans into typical blockbuster mayhem, but Nolan’s direction is tight, and the whole thing feels like a proper crime drama with capes, rather than a comic book cartoon. Gotham feels like a character again. The tone is just right. A brilliant reset for the Caped Crusader.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2005 | Watched: 2025-04-06
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Christopher Nolan: Insomnia (2002) · The Prestige (2006) · Inception (2010) · Memento (2000)
More with Christian Bale: American Psycho (2000) · Ford v Ferrari (2019) · Equilibrium (2002) · The Prestige (2006)
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)
