Batman Begins - 10 stars out of 10

Batman Begins - 10 stars out of 10

Christopher Nolan has given Batman his greatest identity in "Batman Begins."  Leaving behind the cheesy action comedies of the 90's, Batman has never had so much grit.  This much darker perspective of Gotham City has brushed aside fantasy villains like Mr. Freeze and focused on transforming these classic comic villains into believable, real life threats to our society.  Nolan's origin script is inspired, relying on character development instead of special effects as it paints a hopeless portrait of our society and the symbol (not the man) who can save us.  This version of Batman must discover the difference between justice and revenge, struggling with the disgust that he feels toward the murderer of his parents.  The script cleverly explains how Batman received his ninja training by tying his teacher into the overarching plot, rather than throwing in an explanatory flashback that is unrelated to the rest of the film.  But Nolan's project goes far beyond the script.  Masterful acting brings the characters to life, with Christian Bale becoming a beacon of hope that we truly do cheer for amidst his turbulent circumstances.  Alfred is much more than a butler as Michael Caine turns him into the devoted friend and steadfast support of Bruce Wayne.  Cillian Murphy is a great psychological villain and Liam Neeson gives Ra's al Ghul an interesting persona as a villain who is attempting to bring good to the world in an evil way, but more importantly, the film focuses on Batman becoming a symbol of hope instead of "Ooh, look at the c'ool' villain with the Austrian accent!"  Lucius Fox is a great character and who better to play this role than Morgan Freeman with that little bit of fun in his attitude that plays so well off of Bale.  Also, you have to mention Gary Oldman because he's just one of those actors that makes you like any character that he portrays.  This character-based approach to Batman has elevated the film beyond the realm of "Oh my gosh, that explosion was so awesome!" and given it a strong theme and meaning that carries through the entire series to the climax of the final film.  "Batman Begins" redefined the genre of superhero films.  This merger of superheroes and realistic settings has created a line of dramatic films (Iron Man, Captain America, The Amazing Spiderman, etc.) that are easily comparable to the critically acclaimed films that sweep the Oscars each year and have a legitimate place in cinematic stardom.