Review of Batman Begins (2005) by Stefan G — 28 Feb 2015

While I appreciate the attempt to restore the credibility of the Batman film franchise (which had been shattered by the unequivocally painful Batman and Robin), I think that this might not have been the best way to revive the franchise.

My biggest criticism of the film is that it's essentially another origin story. To be fair, this is exactly you would expect from the title, but I'm generally annoyed by it because the origin story has already been done before in Tim Burton's Batman, where the origin story was implemented in a much better fashion.

Here, the origin story is rewritten in a modern context, but the end result is focused more on brooding and drama than actual substance. The performances are alright, but I think Batman's performance is a bit too much on the rough side.

He sounds like he has a sore throat that goes on for an entire trilogy of "Dark Knight" films. The film's overall style seems way too gritty and serious for my tastes, but I must admit that it works for the kind of modern Batman film that Batman Begins tries to be.

As a modern take on a storied franchise, this film worked, but it wasn't as entertaining as I would have hoped, and ultimately proved to be a jarring experience, though not a bad one.