Batman Begins

After the failure of “Batman and Robin”, the famous DC hero remained on the backburner for a few years. Many creators approached the character with lots of fresh ideas; and Christopher Nolan - the mastermind behind gloomy crime movies such as Memento and Insomnia - emerged victorious. He brought about a stripped-down take on Batman that drew inspiration from classic graphic books such as Batman: Year One.

This is not new information. However, it's worth noting how revolutionary Batman Begins was at the time. It handled superhero fiction seriously, without detracting from the character's pleasure and universe - a mistake that other grim comic book films usually do.

Batman Begins is diametrically opposed to Nolan's two subsequent Dark Knight films. It is structurally similar to Nolan's Memento and The Prestige, as it incorporates flashbacks throughout the narrative. In terms of tone, it's really closer to the comic books – notably in its third act of Gotham sequences – than the other two films of the Dark Knight Trilogy. All in all, this is still the best origin tale for Batman on the silver screen.

Release year: 2005

Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine

IMDB Score: 8.3/10