Batman Begins

Batman has always been popular with young boys, thanks to his comic-book origins and his flashy gadgets. Batman Begins takes us back to the man behind the mask, and in the process reaches out to a whole new audience. This movie shows us what led Bruce Wayne to take up his crime-fighting persona and to lead his secret double life in the first place.

The film opens with Bruce fighting in an Asian prison, until he is liberated by a shady man, played by Liam Neeson. Bruce learns martial arts with this man, and goes looking for the help of Ra's Al-Ghul, a ninja cult leader. Cue lots of fighting and climbing up icy mountainsides, because ninjas never live within easy reach of a bus or taxi.

In flashbacks we see how Bruce's parents were murdered in front of him when he was a boy. He wants justice, but is afraid, and we learn how bats came to symbolise that fear for him.

When he returns to Gotham City Bruce has made up his mind to become a symbol to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. In his absence the city has become overrun by organised crime. A mob boss is running the city, corruption is rife and people are scared. So Bruce opens up the Batcave, dons his costume, gathers some hi-tech gadgets and goes out to beat some criminals into submission. A legend is born!

Bruce's mission is made more complicated when his friend, a district attorney, decides she wants to stand up to the crimelords. This puts her life in danger, so Batman has to watch out for her, as well as finding out what has happened to a stolen super-weapon.

There are a few good twists and red herrings in the plot of Batman Begins. It's one of the best Batman films to date, but also one of the more adult thanks to good dialogue and character development. There's a fair bit of action and a few explosions, but overall the special effects aren't as flashy or cartoonish as other Batman films have been. It's far less camp and more serious in tone, and a much better film for taking this approach.