BATMAN BEGINS
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Certificate 12A

WARNER Brothers have forged a path for the Batman franchise of the future. It’s a whole new Bat-era.
Director Christopher Nolan (Memento) delivers a dark, wet, scary, learned – and overtly practical and functional new Batman onto our screens as well as into our hearts and minds.
Top-heavy with British and Irish actors – Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred; Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt and two Irishmen Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy in a killer performance – this is the classiest, toughest, best looking and most believable Batman ever brought to the screen.
We see where he gets his martial arts skills, where his suit and gadgets come from, how he gets the Batmobile and who looks after him when things go wrong.
The whole of it makes perfect sense and so we can sit back, our minds soothed, and enjoy the brilliance that the Welsh-born Christian Bale brings to the Caped Crusader. (Now, Bale should tackle Bond – he is already the next best thing.)
On the downside, the powerful actor Ken Watanabe is virtually unseen as Batman’s early nemesis while Katie Holmes takes on the thankless task of being the Bat’s girlfriend.
The cinematography and editing is prime, and despite its length, Batman Begins is riveting for every second of the way.
But don’t expect a Batman movie like the ones which have gone before.
This is a Bat film for serious adventure lovers and also there’s enough here to keep the more cerebral amongst the audience happy as clams. Batman Begins is already setting up a sequel – and no word yet on who The Joker is going to be.
This is the best Bat-movie of them all.