Batman Begins (2005)

Directed by

Christopher Nolan

Written by

Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer

Cast

Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Morgan Freeman

Genre

drama film, action film, adventure film, crime film, crime thriller film, ninja film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

2h 20m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

7.7 of 10 from 22,777 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

After his parents are killed, Bruce Wayne trains with a mysterious mentor and returns to Gotham City. He becomes Batman to stop a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the city.

darkgrittyseriousbroodingintensegroundedepicorigin-focusedslow-burn

What happens

Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Goyer, the film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne (Bale) from the death of his parents to his journey to become Batman and his fight to stop Ra's al Ghul (Neeson) and the Scarecrow (Murphy) from plunging Gotham City into chaos. After Batman & Robin (1997) was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office, Warner Bros. Pictures cancelled future Batman films, including Joel Schumacher's planned Batman Unchained. Between 1998 and 2003, several filmmakers collaborated with Warner Bros. in attempting to reboot the franchise. After the studio rejected a Batman origin story reboot Joss Whedon pitched in December 2002, Warner Bros. hired Nolan in January 2003 to direct a new film. Nolan and Goyer began development on the film in early 2003. Aiming for a darker, more realistic tone compared to the previous films, a primary goal for their vision was to engage the audience's emotional investment in both the Batman and Bruce Wayne identities of the lead character. The film, which was principally shot in the United Kingdom, Iceland and Chicago, relied heavily on traditional stunts and miniature effects, with computer-generated imagery being used in a minimal capacity compared to other action films. Comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween served as inspiration. Expectations for Batman Begins ranged from moderate to low, which originated from the poor reception of Batman & Robin that was credited with stalling the Batman film series in 1997. After premiering in Tokyo on May 31, 2005, the film was released in the United States on June 15. The film received positive reviews and ended up grossing over $371.9 million worldwide against a $150 million budget, becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2005, and was the second highest grossing Batman film at the time of its release, behind Tim Burton's Batman (1989). Receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, the film elevated Bale to leading man status while it made Nolan a high-profile director. Since its release, Batman Begins has often been cited as one of the most influential films of the 2000s. The film helped popularize the term reboot in Hollywood, inspiring studios and filmmakers to revive franchises with realistic and serious tones. It was followed by the sequels The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which rounded out The Dark Knight trilogy. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Dark Knight (2008)
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
• Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
• Batman: Year One (2011)
• Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
• The Batman vs. Dracula (2005)
• Batman (1989)
• Batman: New Times (2005)