Batman Begins Review

Batman Begins


Release Date: 16th June 2005 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Syncopy
DC Comics
Legendary Pictures (Uncredited)

Palatex III Productions Limited

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 140 minutes


Budget: $150,000,000

Box Office Gross: $375,404,836 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, Bruce Wayne seeks to avenge their deaths. In his travels, he learns many combat skills to fight injustice. When Bruce returns to the crime-ridden Gotham with the help of his old butler Alfred, ally Lucius Fox and rising cop Jim Gordon, he puts on the cowl as the masked vigilante Batman, who strikes into the mob's and criminals' hearts and uses strength, intellect and high-tech weaponry to rid the city of crime and corruption.

Cast
Christian Bale - Bruce
Wayne/Batman

Gus Lewis - Young Bruce Wayne

Michael Caine - Alfred

Pennyworth
Liam Neeson - Henri Ducard
Katie Holmes - Rachel Dawes

Emma Lockhart - Young

Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman - Sgt. James

Gordon
Morgan Freeman - Lucius Fox
Cillian Murphy - Dr. Jonathan
Crane/The Scarecrow
Tom Wilkinson - Carmine Falcone
Rutger Hauer - William Earle

Ken Watanabe - Ra's Al Ghul
Mark Boone Junior - Det. Arnold Flass

Larry Holden - Carl Finch
Colin McFarlane - Gillian B.

Loeb
Linus Roache - Thomas Wayne
Sara Stewart - Martha Wayne
Richard Brake - Joe Chill
Tim Booth - Victor Zsasz
Gerard Murphy - Judge Faden
Rade Serbedzjia - Homeless Man
Jack Gleeson - Little Boy

Alexandro Bastedo - Gotham Society Dame

Matt Miller - Gotham Car Cop #3

John Nolan - Fredericks (Cameo)

Lucy Russell - Female Restaurant Guest (Cameo)

Jeremy Theobald - Younger Gotham

Water Board Technician (Cameo)

Crew

Screenplay/Director - Christopher Nolan

Batman Creators - Bob Kane

and Bill Finger (Uncredited)
Characters: Alfred Pennyworth &

Dr Thomas Wayne - Jerry Robinson (Uncredited)
Story/Screenplay - David S. Goyer
Executive Producers - Benjamin Melniker

and Michael Uslan
Producers - Larry J. Franco, Charles Roven,
Emma Thomas and Lorne Orleans (IMAX Version)
Casting Directors - John Papsidera
and Lucinda Syson

Production Designer - Nathan Crowley

Storyboard Artists - Martin Asbury

and James Cornish

Supervising Art Director - Simon Lamont

Supervising Art Director: Cardington -

Steven Lawrence

Senior Art Director - Alan Tomkins

Art Directors - Peter Francis, Paul Kirby,

Dominic Masters, Su Whitaker and

Shane Valentino (Uncredited)

Art Director: Chicago - Patrick Lumb

Standby Art Director - Stuart Kearns

Assistant Art Directors - Stephen Morohan

and Sloane U'Ren

Set Decorators - Andrew Hodgson,

Paki Smith and Simon Wakefield

Property Master - Ty Teiger
Costume Designer - Lindy Hemming

First Assistant Costume Designer - Guy Speranza

Costume Supervisor - Dan Grace

Prosthetics/Bait Suit Consultant -

Nick Dudman
Makeup & Hair Designer - Peter Robb-King

Director of Photography - Wally Pfister

Aerial Photography - Hans Bjerno

"A" Camera Focus Puller - Clive Mackey

First Assistant Camera: Vista Vision, Chicago -

Wayne Baker

Unit Production Manager - Nigel Gostelow

Production Managers - Suzie Wiesmann

and Sam Breckman

Unit Manager - Steve Harvey

Location Managers - Joanna Beckett,

Robin Higgs, Tom Crooke and Mark Somner

Location Manager - James McAllister

First Assistant Director - Cliff Lanning

Key Second Assistant Director - Matthew Sharp

Stunt Coordinator - Paul Jennings

Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Sy Hollands

Assistant Stunt Coordinator: Chicago Unit -

Rick LeFevour

Fight Arranger - David Forman

Fight Consultants - Andy Norman

and Justo Dieguez

Horse Master - Daniel Naprous

Aerial Coordinator - Craig Hosking

Action Vehicle Coordinator - Darren Litten

Special Effects Coordinator - Chris Corbould

Special Effects Workshop Supervisors -

Kevin Herd, Paul Knowles, Roy Quinn and

Andrew Smith

Visual Effects Supervisors - Dan Glass,

and Janek Sirrs

Visual Effects Supervisor: Double Negative -

Paul J. Franklin

Visual Effects Supervisors: MPC - Rudi Holzappel

and Andrew Morley

Visual Effects Supervisor: BUF - Stephane Ceretti

Visual Effects Supervisor: The Senate VFX -

Sean Farrow

Visual Effects Producers: Double Negative -

Hal Couzens and Ellen Walder

Miniature Unit Supervisor: Model VFX Unit -

Steven Begg

Art Directors: Supervising Models,

Model VFX Unit - James Hambidge and

Michael Lamont

First Assistant Director: Model VFX Unit -

Simon Emmanuel

CG Sequence Supervisors: Double Negative -

Pete Bebb, Graham Jack and Alex Wuttke

Sequence Supervisors - Jody Johnson

and George Zwier

Compositing Sequence Leads: Double Negative -

Chris Burn, Matthew Twyford, Jody Johnson,

Jeremy Hattingh, Victor Wade, Andy Lockley,

Steve McKee and George Zwier

2D Supervisor: Double Negative - Charlie Noble

Film Editor - Lee Smith

First Assistant Editor - John Lee

Sound Effects Design - Jimmy Boyle

and Andy Kennedy

Supervising Sound Editors - David Evans

and Stefan Henrix

Re-Recording Mixers - Lora Hirschberg

and Gary A. Rizzo

Foley Mixer - Ed Colyer

Foley Artists - Andi Derrick and Peter Burgis

Music - James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer

Additional Music - Ramin Djawadi and Mel Wesson

Music Programmer - Lorne Balfe

Score Coordinator - Becky Bentham

Music Recordist - Geoff Foster

Awards

2006 Academy Awards
Best Cinematography - Wally Pfister (Nominated)


Review

Unlike the original Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series, BATMAN BEGINS has a sense of realism. Director Christopher Nolan's interpretation of the titular character is dark and spine-tingling. It seemed disturbing and brutal, whereas the last two Batman films were comical and suitable for young people. How intriguing that the director uses a dark colour scheme in his sets accompanied by a soundtrack by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer? Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman were exceptional actors. Christian Bale's performance as Batman flawlessly suited him. It is made apparent he displays heroism and physical form, which is crucial for the dark knight.

Beloved by many fans, BATMAN BEGINS was a promising start to a film series about the caped crusader. It will be ideal for newer fans as it explains what happened before Bruce Wayne became Batman when experiencing the journey he took, becoming the one we all idolise.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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