TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Batman Begins - 1 Disc Edition [2005]


RRP: £10.99
Our Price: £4.00 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com


Gotham tramp
Review date: 2008-11-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Personally I thought the old Gotham tramp nearly walked away with the whole film.

Great film!

Similar Products

Reviews


Knight in not so shining armour!
Review date: 2008-10-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

In preparation for the Dark Knight, I had to re-watch this movie, and to be honest I forgot how good it was. These movies re-invent the Batman in a much more realistic and plausible way than the orginal 90's movies. The really changes the way you feel about the character and the setting, it changes from being a comic book adaptation in an over the top Gotham, unbelievable gadgets and unbelievable villians to something that with a little bit of imagination may actually be happening around us. This sets up the history of Batman, and how he turns into the Dark Knight, with believable explainations on his skills, gadgets, costumes, money and alike. This is a perfect start to what I hope turns out to be an excellent series of movies. Well directed, well acted with good (and not obviously CGI) effects.

Great Cast, Great Story, Great Film!
Review date: 2008-10-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Plot
Batman Begins follows the life of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who, after losing both his parents, decides to rid Gotham City of the Criminals of the Underworld. Firstly he meets Ducard (Liam Neeson) who trains him in the Himalayas. On returning to Gotham, he asks for the help of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freemen), a technician and scientist who designs his suit. After facing one of the more notourious gang leaders, Carmine Falconi (Tom Wilkinson) befriends Gotham Detective, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). So with his allies, Batman battles with a sinister phycologist (Cillian Murphy) and his mysterious master, to stop them destorying Gotham City.

The Characters
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) - The son of a billionare who becomes the heir of the buisness. Decides to rid Gotham of it's criminals.
Alfred Pennyworth (Michale Caine) - Butler and old friend, Alfred is the cautious advisor who wants Bruce to safe.
Lucius Fox (Morgan Freemen) - The brillian technician who is the mastermind behind the almsot industructable suit and the armoured Batmobile.
Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) - The Gotham Detective who gets wrapped up in Batman's plans and is forced to go along with them.
Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) - Assisstan DA and life long friends with Bruce, she doesnt approve of Batman's methods but knows that they are necessary.

Other Characters
Ducard - Liam Neeson
Carmine Falconi - Tom Wilkinson
Doctor Crane - Cillian Murphy

Review
Batman Begins is a great comeback with a fantastic storyline. By not using some of the more, well-known bad guys, it gives the whole film feel frsh and new. The film has some of the biggest cast ever in one film and all of them have a good amount of on-screen time. The bad guys, all though not scary, have a sinister presence about them and the plot to destory the city is well thought out and different. The special affects are good and the air view of the city is realistic. I am struggling to find any bad points, I dont think there are any.
Overall, a fantastic film that can be wtched by the whole family.

Really great...but The Dark Knight is better...
Review date: 2008-10-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

Okay, first of all, technically I saw the Batman movies the wrong way round, i.e. I saw The Dark Knight first, which is really incredible, a definite must-see for anyone. About a month later, I watched Batman Begins and I wanted to feel the same way, but I was left wanting more.

Don't get me wrong, it gives a brilliant insight into the character of Bruce Wayne, and a thoroughly satisfying origin of Batman, as well as several fantastic action sequences (the sword fight on the frozen lake looks stunning, and the car chase is hilarious) and some really funny scenes of Batman beating up mod gangs (which I always find really funny for some reason :P) and several great lines involving the Batmobile ;)

However, I can also say, with confidence, that The Dark Knight is practically perfect, whereas Batman Begins has several flaws; the first half hour is slow and a bit of a cliche, Katie Holmes' Rachel drives me mad (so annoying), the cinematography is dodgy sometimes (the second to last scene looks so cheesy it makes me want to throw up) and Batman looks pretty crude in a lot of scenes (compared to a more sophisticated, deeper character of Batman we see in TDK).

I think the worst thing about this film is the villains though - Scarecrow is okay, sometimes pretty creepy, but the mob is pathetic (all Batman does to Carmine Falcone, who is apparently Gotham's most feared crime lord, is headbutt him, tie him up...and that's it) and Henri Ducard (Ra's Al Ghul) is one of the most annoying villains ever, and unfortunately he's the main 'bad guy' in this, and he doesn't die until about ten minutes before the end. Grrr...

Overall, satisfying enough for the average Batman fan (like I consider myself to be), with a reasonably strong storyline, plenty of action and a detailed insight into the character of Bruce Wayne. I just always finish watching Batman Begins feeling like I want more, and I'm still waiting for The Dark Knight on DVD to satisfy that...

"As Bruce Wayne ...I'm flesh and blood ...I can be destroyed. But as a symbol ...I can be incorruptible."
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

The producers have invested a lot of solid ideas to provide foundations for a successful future in this Lazarus of film franchises. Tim Burton initially gave Batman a solid, dark-fairytale start, over time it slipped from surreal quirkyness to awful, cliché ridden pantomime - seemingly killing off any chance of a further sequel. It needed totally gutting and building from scratch, a genuine re-imagining was required for it to be taken seriously again - and here it is...

Normally you watch a super-hero film and you are expected to simply accept the implausible situations and the gadgets used. You don't question them, but here we get an explanation of how things come to be - from the batsuit, the batcave, even the trusty old grapple hook. We get a believable character in a pretty realistic world.

The over-sentimental cheesy moments tend to be masked by forming parts of purposefully theatrical scenes in order to prevent the film from being too corny, or patronising. Christian Bale manages to convey the right amount of anger and anguish to give the character depth. This isn't an invincible Batman, this is a man with weaknesses, so you feel the tension when the chips are down and the bullets are flying. You do feel that he's in danger, you don't sit back and know that everything will turn out okay.

In a nutshell: This is a long film - and the first hour builds a good history so that we understand what drives the character. This allows you to invest believability and emotion in a character who will no doubt be appearing on our screens again and again. The thrills and spills are all there, you get all the action - but it's not brainless - every moment of action can be justified with a reason. Thankfully there's no Arnie Ice-Man uttering God-awful lines, there is a hint of cheesiness, but it isn't rammed down our throats like a slab of Wensleydale.

If only other comic-to-screen translations were as good as this, in my opinion only Superman The Movie [1978] (the late 70s classic) surpasses this as a super-hero film.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Ken Watanabe
Christian Bale
Katie Holmes
Morgan Freeman
Cillian Murphy

Creators:
Christian Bale (Primary Contributor)
Katie Holmes (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900594158
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-01-23
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 134 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: Hebrew (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Portuguese (Original Language)
Language: German (Dubbed)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional