Batman Begins

Year: 2005 Rating: PG-13 Overall Evaluation: 10.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 10.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Style

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements. There are no gratuitous elements in this film, but that doesn't mean it's OK for kids. There are some (brief) nightmarish scenes and the fights are pretty violent. Very realistic.

Story

This is the origin story of the superhero Batman. The Dark Knight is finally being shown as he was in the comics - a dangerous figure who prowls Gotham city in the guise of a bat combating crime with amazing skills and clever inventions. It all started when the main character watched as his parents were killed right in front of him. After failing to avenge their death, he goes off on various crime sprees and ends up being trained by an elite group of shadow warriors who feel it is their duty to protect the evil world from itself through vigilante justice. He returns to his home city and has to deal with his unfulfillable desire for revenge, as well as Gotham's scum.

Suppositions

The notions of good vs. evil are welcome, especially in a time when relativism rules the screen. As well, justice vs. vengeance, and authority vs. vigilante (plus the difficulties of telling the two apart some times) are well played themes throughout. The bad guys are believable and not over the top - their basic fault being that they take justice into their own hands and confuse useful punishment with utter destruction.

Significance

The story arc places the hero (several times) in a position to act on his vengeful desires or his sense of justice. By the climax he has firmly settled on the latter and fights for the people of Gotham without simply going on a killing spree (which he could easily do!). That good is to fight evil and stand for justice is a great message and it is brought across in an admirable fashion.