Batman Begins - Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray] [2005] [Region Free]

Batman Begins is an outstanding reboot of a very familiar setting, raising the bar for reboots and making Batman relevant and interesting again after a set of weaker film and television depictions. The 2005 film directed by Christopher Nolan has since spun out a couple of sequels but Begins is the start of the story and in its own right is a great blockbuster film. Taking Batman back to his origins, Begins offers Bruce Wayne's journey into Batman and a battle with a couple of really excellent villains. The tale of the lost soul that is Bruce Wayne and his redemption through the Batman alter-ego is really well told, vastly superior to previous Batman depictions.Unsurprisingly, Begins is superior to previous depictions in that it sticks closely to some of the best of Batman lore. As with many comic adaptations, it is the use of high quality source material that makes for such a gripping story. The origins of Batman is in the death of Bruce Wayne's parents. Going back to the source, those parents are killed by a no-mark called Joe Chill. It is the casual and utterly avoidable nature of their deaths that makes it so interesting. Unlike previous screen versions where the meaning is entirely lost by changing the killer, Joe Chill is a perfect character to set Bruce Wayne off on his long journey. Chill is just a meaningless hood yet he guns down the wealthiest and most important citizen in Gotham. That juxtaposition entirely makes sense for the Batman character's motivation, the anguish of knowing his parents died for pretty much nothing.A decade later as a somewhat tortured teen Bruce Wayne clearly has not overcome the grief and nearly makes a massive mistake. His subsequent journey to what appears to be the Himalayas is an outstanding sequence, probably the strongest part of a terrific film. Finding Ra's al Ghul as a mentor, Bruce Wayne's entire life view is questioned. Coming of age and finding out who you are is an all too common motif but Batman Begins gets it so very right. Wayne is trained physically but more importantly he is trained philosophically. Ra's offers an incredibly plausible case for turning to the dark side. This is fascinating as so often the case is made for turning to the light but Ra's offers argument about being prepared to defend values that really resonates. It is Wayne's eventual rejection of the Ra's philosophy that ultimately leads him to be Batman.The physical action during the training sequences is amazing. The place really feels cold. The real-life location of Iceland is a decent stand-in with the sequences on the frozen lake being particularly breath-taking. Probably the most impressive physical action takes place when Bruce faces his final challenge. The combat within a maze of ninjas is beautiful choreography.While the eastern sequences are particularly impressive, the visuals in the return to Gotham are also very nice. Gotham is dark, it is broken, it feels oppressive. In some ways the Gotham of Batman Begins shares the feel of Sin City. While it might not be quite as harsh as Sin City, anything that compares even closely to Sin's brilliance is itself impressive.Perhaps the two highlights of the return to Gotham are Bruce Wayne's development of a double life and the villains he faces. The angst of the Batman character lives alongside the arrogance of another character. Bruce Wayne himself disappears. All that remains is the grim and unrelenting Batman and the vacuous Bruce Wayne. Neither is the real person. Other double life super heroes have only one alter ego, Batman Begins presents two in the same person - fascinating. The pinnacle of the Bruce Wayne alter ego is his incredibly insulting speech at a party in his honour. It is just dripping with egoistic venom. It serves a particular plot purpose but really pushes character boundaries in a way that other films have not dared.As with any great character, it is the relations with others that mark Batman out. Love interest Rachel Dawes played by Katie Holmes is the perfect romantic foil. She is sweet but highly intelligent. She sets a standard for Wayne that he cannot possibly meet. This is just so excellent - the romantic love interest should be easily obtainable. Katie Holmes is not a stunner and she's playing a girl next door. Even so she turns the exceedingly rich, handsome, and altruistic Wayne even when she knows all he does. This denial plays so well into Batman's heart-hardened character.His relationship is far closer with Michael Caine's Albert the butler. Caine works very well in this role. His trademark accent seems to fit which is unusual for a film from this century. Albert is the helping hand Bruce needs but he's also the source of some of the film's underlying meaning.The corporate angle of Bruce Wayne's life is one of the few areas that doesn't quite work. The antipathy with Rutger Hauer's Earle interacts with Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox doesn't flow well. Earle is one of the few cliches in the film and his line about getting memos is horrendously dated and out of place in such a modern and dark film. Lucius Fox is not much better. Why he is buried down in the basement with all the most interesting gadgets is unclear as after all those are the very pieces of equipment that a corporation would want to avoid falling into the hands of others yet the enemy of the acting CEO seems to be given free run with all the corporation's technology.Still, the weaker spots are more than made up for with the interaction between Batman and the various villains. Scarecrow and Ra's are both outstanding. Scarecrow is wonderfully played by Cillian Murphy. He is incredibly menacing especially without the mask. The way he inflicts fear upon the vulnerable is truly evil and makes for a great opponent. Ra's is much more of a subtle combatant for Batman and it is right that there seems to be some respect between the pair. Liam Neeson's height, age, and gravitas fit so well.All of the greatness of Batman Begins would not be possible without Christian Bale. Bale is himself quite a dark and intense person. In the same way that Robert Downey Jr was ideal for Iron Man, Christian Bale is ideal for Batman. He is less believable as the young adult Bruce Wayne in Gotham but he is pitch perfect on the trail towards the Himalayas and fits both the gritty, noble, and self sacrificing Batman and the spiteful and anti-social persona of Bruce Wayne.The acting is supported by good action sequences. Good use of the utility belt and other traditional Batman effects helps. The batmobile looks great. The chase sequence it is involved in is perfectly fine but not especially interesting given the over-abundance of chase sequences in cinema. Batman's fighting style is interesting. It does not looks like boring wire work but it seems hard hitting and impactful.As a piece of cinema, Batman Begins is coherent, interesting, and entertaining. Some of the characters are superb, especially Batman and the two main villains. The setting works so well and taking Batman back to the darkness the original exists in makes for a far more thought-provoking plotline than anything television or cinema has produced so far. Christopher Nolan's reboot of this franchise is a cut above many other reboots and everyone involved deserves credit.The DVD Extras on the two-disc edition are solid. The talking head work is really good, exploring the most interesting aspects of the film. The technical exposition of the costume and the batmobile are both engaging. The miniatures special effects section is a little un-inspiring but the introduction to the fighting style is fascinating even if some of the elbow crunch strikes seem a bit odd. The Extras are a good complement to an outstanding film.

great movie

Okay. It's better than Batman&Robin. Quite a bit better. When the psycho pyrotechnics have subsided, the flames have turned to ashes and the Dark Knight drops into the shadows, you may wonder - if there's room for any thought in your head other than, "Wow", - how this was ever known as Batman 5. It's not a sequel. It's not a prequel. It truly is a new beginning. Christopher Nolan has taken the dominant franchise of the '90s and said, "Forget about it. Batman is reborn." And it's a bloody, brutal, beautiful birth.Batman Begins does for the Caped Crusader what GoldenEye did for Bond. Ironic that Bale, who was so close to becoming the post-Brosnan Broccoli boy, should shoulder a series that lost its way so similarly to 007 in the '80s. For Batman&Robin, read A View To A Kill - bloated, camp disasters where stunt casting and expensively empty set- pieces suffocated the essential appeal: a damaged, dangerous, violent man - a detective, of sorts - solving a cataclysmic case and looking ineffably cool.So, no more glitz. But no gothic, either. Nolan hasn't defaulted to Burton's original vision - remarkable in 1989, enjoyable but rather empty now behind Jack's sneer and swagger. Rather, he trusts in the inherent allure of Batman's dark heart and lets him loose on our world. Gotham here is a barely tweaked NYC, its suited and re-booted hero imposing but realistic - the logical result of a justice-seeking vigilante with limitless resources. From Wayne Enterprises' prototype body armour spray-painted black to the Bat-winged throwing stars he grinds out himself, Wayne harnesses bleeding edge technology to create an alter ego that's "something elemental. Something terrifying." He seeks and embraces the power to become a nightmare: "To turn fear on those who prey on the fearful."Tapping into the times, fear is the film's recurrent theme. Bale has spoken of Batman as another American psycho and there is indeed something chilling when Bruce Wayne says, "People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy." It is a statement. It is a threat. Batman is the toughest of superheroes - a rage-fuelled creature of the night, whose heroics often fly close to fascism. Batman is a terrorist. But he's our terrorist.Frank Miller reinvented Bob Kane's iconic character in Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. And while Sin City's comics genius isn't credited, Nolan and David S Goyer's script is indebted to Miller's exploration of Batman's bruised psyche and his noir-styled depiction of a Gotham wracked by organised crime more than costumed superfreaks (Tom Wilkinson excels as Mob boss Carmine Falcone). But the most surprising, shocking influence is from avant-garde Batman classic Arkham Asylum, whose terrifying visual style informs Batman Begins' most remarkable sequences - when people inhale the fear-conjuring hallucinogen of the evil Dr Jonathan Crane, aka The Scarecrow (the superb Cillian Murphy). From Scarecrow's sinister sackcloth mask spew forth images that send victims insane. The scene of Batman as an oily, snarling beast is simply unforgettable - proof that Nolan hasn't allowed a blockbuster's budget and expectations to blunt his edge.The director is less comfortable with the third act's pre-requisite set-pieces, which suffer slightly, unusually, because of the strength of character and story that precede them. Most summer blockbusters expect spectacular action sequences to distract and amuse an audience bored by the `talky bits'. Bale's Batman is so compelling and the supporting cast (Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer) so emotionally engaging that no effects-laden high-speed smackdown can quite equal the frisson of two people talking. Similarly, an increase in flippancy - making Gary Oldman's world-weary Sergeant Gordon ultimately a touch clownish - feels like a forced concession to blockbuster rules.Casting Katie Holmes may be a similar concession, but while imagining her as a lawyer is a stretch ("You are, like, soooo totally busted"), she sparks with Bale in a lovey-dovey subplot refreshingly free of Peter Parker/Mary Jane-style whining. And Michael Caine is outstanding as Alfred the butler, providing the emotional spine for Bale's transition from little boy lost to hulking great brute. Emotion, in a comic-book movie? In spades. Nolan's picture will have your tear-ducts tingling and the hair on your neck standing straight. Funny, exhilarating and moving, it's a blockbuster whose brains and brawn are matched by a thumping great heart. The Bat is back with a vengeance.

amazing

Its well written with great caricature portrayal, I'm hooked

thanks

It's a classic batman film, way better than what has come after it and in a different league to what came before it !

This isn’t a review of the film more of the package.We all know how good the films are, they look & sound incredible in 4k Ultra HD too.The steelbooks are very nice and very well designed, however what comes with them is just designed to push the price up another £10-£15.A selection of Artcards, a small folded double sided poster and booklet that is pictures and no words. Would you pay £10-£15 for this on its own? Absolutely not.

La caja se ve justo como en las imágenes, la verdad me alegra que por fin haya una edición coleccionista para los filmes de Batman de Nolan, la imagen en 4k es fenomenal y los artículos contenidos en ésta edición no tienen igual.

Bellissimo film

Fantástica película en 4K, buena imágen y sonido.

Livraison rapide et très bon film pour les passionnés de Batman

歴代の映画化に比べて、原作コミックの出鱈目さに緻密な整合性を持たせようとするクリストファー・ノーランの演出は痛々しいほど誠実で、豪華で的確な配役と陰影深い撮影の美しさも相まって見事な作品に仕上がっている。渡辺謙の役どころだけは無駄遣いとしか思えないが。