BATMAN!! Is back on our movie screens and its steered away from the previous third and fourth Batman movies when the powers that be decided “I have a great idea, lets go back to the Batman of the sixties, let’s make these successful movies more like those!”. Yes, I do know how those ended and also why they are not appearing on this list as I don’t own them. This version of Batman was released in 2005 and Christopher Nolan has writing and directing credits, it stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe and Morgan Freeman. It was the first of three movies that stars Christian in the main role and was hugely successful. If you don’t believe me lets looks at the numbers made on a budget of $150m it return from the box-office with $373.6m in its back pocket (so there!). Do you want to know why I am so excited about this movie is on my list as I can, again mention the Tri-Critic Sync Challenge. This movie hits the top spot of the scoreboard. Admittedly it is equal with the best score but as a lower number it technically sits on the top there are just 2 points between the Tri-Critic’s with IMDb agreeing with me on a 8.2 out of 10 but Rotten Tomatoes liked it more than I did with a 84%, which means it tops the scoreboard which I will adjust now. OK Plot time.
As a child Bruce Wayne falls down a well and is attacked by a swarm of bats creating his fear of bats. At an opera when there are bats on stage Bruce asks his parents to leave and head straight into muggers who murders his parents write in front of him so is brought up by his butler Alfred. Many years later his parents murderer is paroled after grassing on the mafia boss. Bruce plans to kill him but is beaten to it by one of the mafia bosses men. Bruce’s childhood friend Rachel Dawes scolds him for working outside the law and says his father would be ashamed. Bruce confronts the mafia boss Carmine Falcone who tells him that real power comes from being feared, this prompts him to take on seven years of travelling the world learning combat and immersing himself in the criminal underworld. In prison he meets Henri Ducard who recruits him to the League of Shadows led by Ra’s al Ghul. He completes the training there as a ninja which purges his fears. He learns that the league knows about Gotham and plan to destroy the City so he rejects the League burning down the temple during a daring escape he kills Ra and saves Ducard. Realising his errors he returns to Gotham intent on fighting crime and takes more of an interest in the family business Wayne Enterprises and uses this to develop some secret prototype equipment he can use in his fight against the criminals. I think this is enough to get going and spoil the whole start of this story completely.
I am going to sound like to everyone else right now as this was finally Batman returning to what he should be. Dark, vigilante, motivated by mixed emotions and a fine line between good and bad and how easily one could step from one side to the other. This is laid out completely and it’s done in an adult grown up way. This is not the best Batman movie out there but this neatly sets up the next two movies to shine and without this success the others would not of followed.
The next movie is going to be a real shock for many of you as you won’t believe what comedy I have in the 91st position. Many of you will change your opinion of me…
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