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Reviews Counted:253
Fresh:214
Rotten:39
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
Runtime: 2 hrs 21 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $205,197,285
Synopsis: 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... [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman
Director: Christopher Nolan
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.
Top CriticEasily the best Batman film by far, the most accurate to the comic, pretty much the best comic adaptation ever, the best film so far this year
Top CriticClick to read the article
Top CriticDrained 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.
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.
Its edgy tone and dark atmosphere coupled with its comic-book theatrics make it a winning combination for older children and adults alike.
Not only do we see Gotham in the daylight, but Christian Bale may also be the first Bruce Wayne who's more at home crouching in a monastery with his hair in his eyes than attending a dinner party for which he'd have to trim his nails.
The movie takes such time and care to set up Bruce/Batman that it's a bit of a bummer when it launches into summer-movie overdrive.
Mr. Nolan's assured direction and pacing keep the movie feeling brisk even at its two-plus hour running time.
Works splendidly because it dispenses with the idea that Batman's archenemies have to be quirky, colorful, superficial savants, àla the campy television series from the sixties.
A fragmented tale with a disconnect between sulking mood pieces and hi-tech urban warfare, whose logic always seems to be beside the point.
Both in and out of the suit, Bale owns the role in a way none of the previous three Batmen did.
Here's how any great franchise should start: with care, precision and delicately wrought atmosphere.
Top Criticfans of the Dark Knight, finally feel proud again
This is a gritty and smart personal drama more than an action film. And it is what a Batman film always should have been.
It's passable entertainment that our culture has wildly overrated.
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