Batman Begins

As a child, a young Bruce Wayne witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of a crazed criminal. As an adult, Bruce travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice. He lives amongst the boroughs of criminals and thieves in central Asia. Eventually, he meets a mysterious figure named Ra’s Al Guhl and joins his gang called the League of Shadows. Using his training, he is able to defeat his trainer. Finally meeting up with his estate caretaker Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham. There, he becomes the new head of Wayne Enterprises. Together, with the help of the C.E.O. of the Wayne Enterprises Applied Sciences division, a man name Lucius Fox, he dons a new persona: Batman. As Batman takes on the criminals and organized crime underworld of Gotham, a sinister new underbelly of the city is exposed, and a new class of criminal is born. Will Batman be the one to stop them all, or does Gotham need a hero with a face?

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes

Review: Batman Begins at last penetrates to the dark and troubled depths of the Batman legend, creating a superhero who, if not plausible, is at least persuasive as a man driven to dress like a bat and become a vigilante. The movie doesn’t simply supply Batman’s beginnings in the tradition of a comic book origin story, but explores the tortured path that led Bruce Wayne from a parentless childhood to a friendless adult existence. The movie is not realistic, because how could it be, but it acts as if it is.

Verdict: Worth the Popcorn