Batman Begins (Blu-ray Disc, 2008)

Genius of mystery and intrigue Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, FOLLOWING, INSOMNIA) helms this prequel to the Batman films based on the DC Comics series, explaining how Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale)--the billionaire prince of Gotham whose parents were killed in an alleyway mugging--transformed into the crime-fighting superhero. With flashbacks to his privileged childhood, young Master Wayne, as he is called by the butler Alfred (Michael Caine), develops a terrible fear of bats when he falls through the backyard garden into a hidden cave. As a young adult, Wayne lives among the League of Shadows, a martial arts group in the mountains of Asia. His leaders Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) teach him strength, endurance, and--unfortunately--evil, against which he naturally rebels. Returning to Gotham and reinstating himself as a dapper socialite and the rightful heir to his parents' enterprise, Wayne quickly devises his secret identity, commanding help from the gadgetry expert Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). With one eye on his childhood playmate Rachel (Katie Holmes)--now a beautiful woman and dedicated lawyer--and the other on his mission to save Gotham from criminal corruption, Batman makes his fledgling debut. But when the blue-blooded mastermind Dr. Crane (Cillian Murphy)--who steals every scene with chilling menace--taints the water system with a hallucinatory substance, Batman realizes he has met his first true opponent. An attitude of grave seriousness elevates BATMAN BEGINS above more cartoony Batman movies, as Nolan crafts a dark drama that thrives on sci-fi intrigue. Bale strides into the role with grace, adding refinement that is seldom seen in action-oriented films. And while the action scenes explode with high-tech glitz and fast-moving thrills, they are evenly placed among sequences of plot and character development, making for a complex and satisfying viewing experience.

Directed by Christopher Nolan from a script by David Goyer and Charles Roven, Batman Begins features Christian Bale in the lead role as Batman and his billionaire dual identity, Bruce Wayne. The stellar supporting cast includes Liam Neeson as Ducard, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon, Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul, Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone, Rutger Hauer as Richard Earle, Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes and Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane and The Scarecrow. Opening with Bruce as a young boy, Batman Begins follows the evolution of young Wayne from the murder of his parents on through to his training to become the caped crusader. The death of his parents leaves Wayne with an unfocused anger. As a young man, he turns to the underworld he despises so much, hoping that by submersing himself, he will understand his enemy better. We pick up Wayne in a prison in a distant land, where he is picking fights with unseemly inmates, which he terms as "practice." Ducard (Neeson) is impressed by his spirit and invites him to train under the tutelage of Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows. After an unspecified time of intense training, Wayne returns to Gotham with the intent of cleaning up the corrupt city where he was raised, a town that has gotten so bad most citizens believe it is far beyond reprieve.

Batman Begins reinvents the image of Batman on the big screen into something much more believable, gritty and real! Christian Bale never feels out of place as being Batman, and his acting is excellent and makes such a difference in making Batman more then just a comic book superhero, but something real that people can better relate to.

The movie on its own is very entertaining and has a good balance of action and story. The movie truly shows Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. Much more so then any of the prior Batman movies. Batman Begins sets itself apart from the other movies in the series and starts fresh. The story is changed somewhat from the original story more so then older movies but overall I think it captures the essence of Batman better then they do. This movie is not for small children and can be scary >:) And Katie Holmes does a good job and she actually surprised me that she could actually act.

What can I say but WOW on 2 fronts.

1st - This redition to Batman is, in my opinion, the best to date. Although I liked the previous four Batman movies (even though they weren't able to keep the 'same' Batman for each one, but were able to keep Alfred), this retelling I feel captures the essence of what and who Batman was supposed to be. In the tradition of The Dark Knight comic series, this version is much darker, much grittier, and truer to the original story line. The special effects are also fantastic, as is the general storyline itself

2nd - Now being that this movie is on Blu-ray it makes it just that much better. The details that this format provides, te crystal clear image, as well as the enhanced audio; I really don't know how we previously watched movies before Hi Def.

Overall, Batman Begins on Blu-ray is a definite must have for any Batman enthusiast and for anyone who enjoys making the most out of there High def entertainment center.

This movie is really good! If you want to get the history of who the Batman is of the new Batman movie series, you have to watch this one. It is a intro to the next Batman series starring Christian Bale as Batman. From a young troubled boy to a man looking for meaning in life, Batman's character unfolds as the title suggests "Batman Begins."
I rated this movie as "Good" because it cannot be rated equal to the sequel film "Dark Night" which mesmerized audiences on behalf of the Oscar nominated performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker. All in all "batman Begins" is a great film to have and watch time and again.