Batman Begins

December 10, 2005 - Christian Bale takes over the role of the Caped Crusader in this 2005 film that shows the origins of Batman.

The movie begins with a young Bruce Wayne falling into a deep pit and being frightened by bats. His dad comes to save him. Later, the family is off to the opera. But, little Bruce gets scared, so the family makes an early exit through a side door and ends up in a dark alley. A mugger kills the parents and young Bruce is left with lots and lots of guilt.

Years later, Bruce leaves college to go on a quest to understand the criminal mind. After seven years of that, he's found by Liam Neeson, leader of the League of Shadows. Liam mentors Bruce in the skills of fighting, but Bruce makes a hasty exit when he's asked to execute a murder suspect.

Back in Gotham City, Bruce rejoins the family business and is fascinated by all the neat toys that Morgan Freeman has invented. There's a bulletproof suit and an early version of the Batmobile. Bruce uses these things to fight crime and corruption in Gotham City. A police sergeant named Gordon (Gary Oldman) thinks Batman is OK, but others aren't too sure. Ultimately, Batman and Gordon team up to save Gotham when Liam Neeson comes calling.

Overall review: *** I liked Christian Bale as Batman and thought he did a good job of playing Bruce from a confused teenager to a twenty-something crime fighter. There's not really too much to complain about here, although the plot seemed a little convoluted. Also, Katie Holmes seemed rather lightweight compared to the rest of the cast that included Michael Caine as Alfred along with Rutger Hauer.