Movie: Batman Begins

	Distributor:	Warner Bros.
	Release:	June 15, 2005
	Genre:	Crime/Gangster
	MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements

Some people I've talked to didn't like this as much as the first one, which was made by Tim Burton, although they would agree it is much better than the batman movie previous to this.

I, on the other hand, loved this movie and thinks it is cooler than the first one. Maybe because Christian Bale is closer to my age than Michael Keaton is. It's funny how my mind links his name to Empire of the Sun (which by the way, is one of my favorites), associates his face with Reign of Fire, and not make the connection. I have also seen his adult face in other movies, but it never registered to me that he was the same kid whose touching portrayal made me cry in the Spielberg movie. In this movie, it is not his portrayal of Batman that stood out - what stood out was his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. If previous Batman movies cloaked Wayne in mystery, this movie tried to get into his psyche. To paraphrase a line uttered by Alfred: Why isn't Wayne in a straightjacket?

Which brings me to the butler. I must say that this is the first Batman movie where I remember scenes with Alfred in them. I can't remember what the Alfred of the other movies were like. By asking Michael Caine to portray the character, Batman Begins is therefore emphasizing the important role of the only person who saw, and perhaps aided, the transformation of Bruce Wayne to Batman. Caine has made Alfred an endearing person - loyal to his master, believing in, and never giving up on the only son of the man he idolized. If Alfred did not remember so much of Wayne Sr., he would not have been able to impart the departed man's values to his son.

It's also a joy to see Gary Oldman portray future the commissioner, Gordon, as your everyday man struggling to maintain his morals in a job exposed to corruption. It's one of those movies where Oldman is not playing a person on the brink of insanity (Sirius Black included), or a villain.

Morgan Freeman was superb as Lucius Fox ... definitely aware of what Wayne's up to, but able to pretend he knows nothing if Wayne does not wish to divulge anything. But then, Freeman's always been a cool guy, even from the first time I saw him in the kids' show Electric Company (which to my surprise, only a few my age remember - maybe they just watched Sesame Street and not flipped to other channels).

Liam Neeson is getting the mentor role in a lot of movies lately. Maybe because his persona exudes it. In this movie, he is the gentleman with the cool action moves. I do know he can be wacky as I've seen him in Saturday Night Live (although I only recall "You Call This a House, Do Ya?").

Katie Holmes wasn't much of a stand out. Frankly, the girls who get into Batman films as simply Wayne's love interest never did stand out (I remember Kim Basinger because she was Kim Basinger). You have to be a villain to get good screen time (Michelle Pfeiffer had a good role wherein she was both love interest and villain).

This is one movie I wouldn't mind watching again.