| ![Batman Begins [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nZYyCAoIL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Actors: Christian Bale, Jr. Mark Boone, Michael Caine, Rutger Hauer, Liam Neeson
Studio: Warner Bros.
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.99
Buy New: $16.00
You Save: $12.99 (45%)
New (38) Used (12) from $15.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  1244 reviews
Sales Rank: 130
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 140
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: WARBR21452
UPC: 085391115212
EAN: 0085391115212
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The movie Bat-fans have been waiting for. August 30, 2005
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I became a fan of the Dark Knight following Frank Miller's genius "The Dark Knight Returns" in the mid-80s. I loved the reinvention of the character, making him darker, brooding, and bordering on psychotic. It was this reinvention that most likely allowed the making of the original Batman movie, as well as its 3 successors. However, I found myself dissecting each of those movies as I exited the theater, feeling dissatisfied with each.
After four previous attempts, two of them bordering on catastrophic, Hollywood has finally gotten it right. This is not your big brother's Batman.
Director Christopher Nolan has stripped away all the flash from the previous two movies, making Gotham City appear to be more like an enormous amusement park, and made it the gritty, murky urban sprawl that Batman fans have come to embrace as the home of Bruce Wayne. We also get much more of a feel as to why Wayne is so tortured and driven to do what he does for the city. The character of Bruce Wayne is the focus of this movie, whereas the villains have been the focus of the previous movies. We learn why Wayne is so tortured, and how deep his psyche is scarred. Story holes are plugged that were left gaping in previous efforts. In time, I believe that Christian Bale will replace Michael Keaton as the general consensus favorite in the role of the Guardian of Gotham, as he truly puts the Dark in Dark Knight.
Perhaps the best part of this edition of the Batman series is the long overdue establishment of the relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon, a police sergeant in this early stage of the legend. In previous movies, the character of Gordon was all but made irrelevant, and in some cases, a buffoon. Gordon is not only a tough cop, but is the only member of the police force that Batman will allow to get close to him. That element is presented flawlessly here.
The acting is better than your average comic book flick. Christian Bale captures perfectly the brood of Batman, as well as the careless, playboy persona of Bruce Wayne. Katie Holmes does a good job in shedding her "Dawson's Creek" image, and handles the character of Rachael Dawes well. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and the rest of the support cast turn in worthy performances in their respective roles. The plot is thicker than previous efforts, and the villains' role in said plot is far from insulting to the intelligence of even a casual Bat-fan.
While this movie has plenty of bangs for the buck, it does not feel like a gratuitous effort. Each special effect has a meaning, and if this movie's intent was to wipe the slate clean, and offer an apology for the previous four Batman movies, then mission accomplished. This is a comic book movie that does not present itself as a comic book movie. Each character and story element is believable, and I sincerely hope that the key elements from this project will be back for a sequel in a few years. If you're a fan of the comic, you will thoroughly enjoy this effort. If you aren't a fan of the comic, you just might be after viewing Batman Begins.
Knight of Justice, Night of Fear, Return of the Legend! October 20, 2005
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
Not as Cartoonish as past batman movies, void of any influence from the old TV Series starring Adam West, What started out as a comic book character so long ago...has returned with a true essence of what Batman, and Bruce Wayne, are really all about.
HARDWARE AND BACKDROP: The gadgets and hi-tech toys in this movie make us think that things have changed...but really they haven't. In the old series, the Batmobile looked futuristic, and given the modern day presence the movie is in, The costume, hardware, and Batmobile are all not of some bizarre future, but of advanced science. Gotham is more than ever before brought to life on the big screen. Instead of a few dark alleys, we are introduced to the actual dark, subculture of the underground part of the city, where fear reigns supreme.
FOREGROUND: Excellent part's of the story that are like a jigsaw puzzle, and piece together a solid, grandiose base that return our old favorites with far more depth. Wayne Manor, The Wayne Family Empire, Arkham Asylum, and the Batcave come through this incredibly woven script with sincerety, strength, and sound resolution.
STRUCTURE: Batman, aka the "Dark Knight" was known to the world as an avenger of sorts againt criminals, driven by the brutal murder of his parents by a robber outside a theater all those years ago. Batman Begins applies the filler for the gap that was how he learned how to fight with something besides sheer will. The mountain top martial arts training center with the League of Shadows was superb, and fit the story well. Bruce Wayne trains here not just to learn how to fight, but also how to conquer fear. His training is an attempt that one day he will be used as the leader of a vehicle that will rid Gotham of crime once and for all. However, more happens within this subplot, for Batman is not on the side of vengeance or justice, but the balance between.
CAST AND CHARACTERS: Christian Bale will make you quickly forget anyone else that has ever played the role. Beyond the physique, his voice and calm stare bring to life Bob Kane's creation from the pages of the comic all over again. Liam Neeson and Katie Holmes are also excellent in their roles.
VILLIAN: Never before has a villian brought from the comic book to the big screen been so simplistic, yet so complex while attaining true evil. You will witness this when you encounter THE SCARECROW!
Qoute from the movie: "Crime, Despair, this is not how man was supposed to live...the league of shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. We sacked Rome...loaded trade ships with plague rats...and burned London to the ground. Every time a civilization reaches the pinnacle of it's decadence, we return to restore the balance."
Batman Begins is more than a comic book movie adaption, more than just a show. It's in EPIC TALE about justice, vengeance, and the balance that lies with the two between good and evil.
The Dark Knight Once Again! August 18, 2005
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This movie returned Batman to his dark roots, and don't get me wrong, I like Batman with Michael Keaton, despite its many flaws, but that doesn't even come close to touching Batman Begins. The only thing that does is the animated series from the 90s. (Mark Hamill will forever be The Joker in my mind, and let's face it Jack was just being Jack, not the Clown Prince of Crime) Great film, score, acting, action, plot, etc. I can't say enough good things about it. The ending just sets up the sequels so beautifully. It makes reference to Batman: Year One. Batman Begins is the Batman film I've been waiting for.
As for the other guys comments on Bale's Batman sucking. I don't get how you get sucking, especially since sucking would imply something horrible and nothing could be worse than either Kilmer or Clooney's Batman. Batman Begins was about Batman/Bruce Wayne. Batman was about the Joker more so than Batman. And Bale made Batman frightening (i.e. the scene where he takes out Falcone's thugs, and the scene where he interogates Flass) Anyway, it's not just an amazing comic book movie, it's an amazing movie, and the first live action Batman movie to get it right.
They finally got it right! August 16, 2005
30 out of 37 found this review helpful
This is, hands down, the finest movie I have seen in years. To compare it to other *good* films in recent memory, it has the visual depth of Harry Potter 3, twice the emotional resonance of Spidey 2, and enough total satisfaction to have me seriously consider burning my Batman DVD collection of the Burton/Schumaker films in effigy.
I remember all of the hype leading up to Batman in '89, only to leave the theater feeling disappointed in a movie that had less to do with the title character and more to do with his arch-enemy. When it came out on video, the AV place where I worked kept it in the VCR 24/7, and I quickly realized how annoying the movie became in the second hour with Vicky Vale's incessant screaming (this from a woman who supposedly photographed smouldering bodies on the front lines of war). I remember hating Batman Returns upon its release, only to gain some respect for it over the years as I've grown to appreciate Tim Burton's visual style. And with the revolving door around the man in the cape and cowl, I watched the franchise ultimately descend to B&R, the biggest pile of garbage in recent movie history, hated more than Battlefield Earth because it ruined characters that we were already connected to.
In a rare move of genius, the WB suits allowed the filmmakers to reboot the whole franchise with this film. The result is a film that isn't bound to established rules. It stands on its own and shines in its darkness.
Batman Begins ranks with Superman: The Movie as the greatest comic adaptation of all time. But it transcends being a comic adaptation. It's a stellar movie all on its own.
Hans Zimmer's is simple, riviting, emotional. A score can make or break a film, and Zimmer once again does not disappoint. It underscores how weak Danny Elfman's Spider-Man scores are, and it even eclipses Elfman's Batman scores. Accomplishing what Elfman can never seem to do, it heightens the tension and manipulates the audience's emotions, invoking the proper emotion for each scene.
Nolan is more than an auteur -- he is an artist, and this will be the pivotal moment in his career, much as Jaws was for Spielberg. The press leading up to this film noted that Nolan effortlessly pulled the whole thing together, turning in the film on time and on budget, as though already he had years of experience directing big budget epics. Clearly his confidence and lack of pretentiousness allowed the actors to deliver pitch-perfect performances. If the cast isn't strained, that comes through in a film.
Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne in a fresh way, with a youthful vigor that the "older" character hasn't shown, and yet much darker and scarier. This is the Batman you don't want to meet in a dark alley.
The supporting cast is rife with talent whose names preceed them -- but this has been true of every Bat-film. What makes this cast stand out from the films of the past is that they have checked their egos at the door, and clearly showed up to act. None of the performances are phoned-in here.
Regarding Katie Holmes, as one who never watched an episode of Dawson's Creek or any of her previous films, I was able to judge her performance in this film quite objectively. She rose to the challenge of her more seasoned costars, delivering an excellent performance that hopefully will result in her character's return in future films. Having a female interest who returns in a Batman film is a chance for Bruce Wayne to truly develop emotionally. And it can even lead to the catalyst for the much-wanted Batman vs. Superman. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I reiterate, this is the finest movie, end to end, that I've seen a long while. We have come to accept mediocrity in small and large doses in recent cinema, but I experienced not a single cringeworthy moment in the entire film. Not one. I have not been so throroughly entertained at the movies in years. The Matrix sequels, The Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings, the X-men movies, the Spider-Man movies ... these are all films that I've loved in this decade and watched again and again. But Batman Begins blew them all away for me. If those movies were home runs in their own right, Batman Begins is a grand slam.
True to it's roots August 22, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Batman Begins is in no way linked to the previous 4 movies in any way (and thank god, in my opinion).
The cast in the film is superb. Christian Bale does an incredible job as Bruce Wayne and Batman. As many know, these are really two different parts because Bruce Wayne is really the fake, public persona wheras Batman is when Bruce Wayne shows his true identity. They finally touch on this, and it is done beautifully. Also, Gary Oldman is wonderful as Lt. Jim Gordon - and thankfully this character is done in such an awesome fashion. He is Batman's only friend and a great cop on a terribly corrupt police force in this movie, the way the character was meant to be. Michael Caine really shines as Alfred and the character is portrayed wonderfully. Liam Neeson is spectacular as Henri Ducard, Bruce Wayne's mentor. Cillian Murphy is twisted and creepy as the Scarecrow without being over the top whatsoever. And Morgan Freeman's performance is great in the few memorable scenes he is in. Katie Holmes also really gives a great performance as Bruce's lifetime friend and Gothams Assistant DA.
As far as the plot goes - it is fantastic.Christopher Nolan and David Goyer wrote a great script with an incredibly touching and suspensful plot. The action scenes are really incredible as well, and all of the action is necessary to the plot and extremely well edited.
One of the most wonderful things about this movie is the realism that is consistent throughout the movie. Gone are the ridiculous neon lights of Schumacher's movies and the extreme Gothic tone of Burton's. You really feel that Batman could exist in this Gotham City - even so much that this movie doesn't feel like a "superhero" movie,it feels like a man going out for revenge. It really goes above and beyond the genre to create a very realistic movie.
This movie is a MUST SEE, in my opinion, and a MUST OWN for anyone who likes having great superhero movies.This film is by far the most realistic comicbook movie ever made.
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