Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Batman Begins'

Written by Scott Edwards

It is hard to imagine what a reboot will do to a series, but sometimes they are better than the original. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved the origin story behind the first Batman movie and the characters were beyond epic, but when Batman Begins hit the screens, it was easily one of the greatest surprises that happened in a long time. I know this sparked interest for another franchise and seeing how well it was received, I can understand why DC would push to get another superhero back on the screen. But there is no point to it, since Batman is hands down the greatest Superhero in the DC universe and if you need a reason why, you just need to pop in this film.

Young Bruce Wayne has been chased out of Gotham, not because of his parents being killed by the people they were trying to help, but by himself. Wanting to gain insights inside the criminal mind, Bruce takes to a life of crime not merely to survive, but to prove a point. Being picked up by Henri Ducard while serving time for robbing the family business, Bruce finds out that there is much more to life and he will be able to do something noble. During his training with the League of Shadows, Bruce is able to purge his fear and take his abilities to the next level. But when he is told that he must serve as judge, jury and executioner, he decides that the path he has chosen to follow is not right for him. Wanting to get back to Gotham to protect his city from its impending doom, Bruce knows that he will be able to make a difference.

Meeting with his old friend Alfred, Bruce finds out that times have changed and that he is more of an odd man out than he could have expected. Seeing that his father’s company is about to be sold, he wants to take a better look at how things were run and meets with Lucius Fox to get the information he needs and to get his hands on all of the goodies an up and coming crime fighter could ever want. With Lucius’ help, Bruce is able to put together a crime fighting pack that will put fear back into the hearts of the criminals in Gotham and he is going to start with an old acquaintance, Carmine Falcone, the kingpin of Gotham that nobody will ever rise against. Getting the information he needs from an old beat cop, Jim Gordon, Bruce is ready to strike and Falcone is about to be tied to the criminal activity that everyone knows about, but were afraid to pursue. Hiding his face and becoming what he fears the most, The Batman is born and is ready to clean up the streets of Gotham once and for all.

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The Batman is not the only new face in Gotham as Bruce has to embrace his status in the city and being a billionaire playboy might suit him well. Making sure people see him making full use of his status, he wants his childhood friend Rachel Dawes to know that he is still the same man that she knew many years ago and he is just putting on a show. In the shadows, Bruce finds out that there is something strange about the drugs that Falcone shipped into Gotham and goes to investigate, only to discover that the drugs are full of strong hallucinogens that can drive people crazy. Being able to battle off the first attack from these drugs, Bruce finds that Lucius will become one of his greatest allies against the evil that is roaming the streets downtown. As Bruce slowly loses himself into the Batman, he is reminded by his lifelong friend Alfred that he is still a Wayne and that the name is not only reflected on his legacy, but his family before him. Now, as he fights the baddies of the city, and the ghosts he must please, a face from the past arrives looking to destroy everything that Master Wayne has been trying to protect.

I said it above, but I don’t think I gave my exact reason why this is the greatest reboot to a franchise that I have seen to date. Of course, it is Batman and he is the greatest DC hero out there, but the story is more about the man than his accomplishments. Bruce has to go through life altering changes that teach him more than anyone could have ever expected and unlike other heroes, he gets hurt along the way. His emotions are played with by every bad guy he has to face off against, whether it be by drugs or by someone trying to prove that he can be more. The drive of Bruce in this movie is phenomenal and he never intends to give up, even it if means he will cause more harm to himself.
 
As the people of Gotham will be the target of the League of Shadows for their uncorrectable sins, Batman knows that there are still good people out there and they need a chance to show it before being judged as a whole. I love how this movie played out and it is the best way to get someone into a story that has been out there for many years now. I have to split my favorite characters in this movie in half, I really like Lucius Fox, but Alfred is fantastic as well. The characters don’t have to be the star of the movie to deliver the deeper messages found in this film and these two did a fantastic job doing just that. Well, onto The Dark Knight. Also, you know what? Batman does not have smelly underwear, because he does not wear any…Superman. 

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