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Batman Begins

Play trailer 2:19 Poster for Batman Begins PG-13 Released Jun 15, 2005 2h 20m Action Fantasy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 287 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the mysterious League of Shadows. When Ducard reveals the League's true purpose -- the complete destruction of Gotham City -- Wayne returns to Gotham intent on cleaning up the city without resorting to murder. With the help of Alfred (Michael Caine), his loyal butler, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a tech expert at Wayne Enterprises, Batman is born.
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Batman Begins

Batman Begins

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Critics Consensus

Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.

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Critics Reviews

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Namrata Joshi Outlook Batman has been all about darkness, Nolan just makes it a shade darker. Go see it. Rated: 3/4 Jan 8, 2019 Full Review Christy Lemire Associated Press Nolan takes an admirable stab at developing a character-driven drama, only to give in to generic action-movie conventions with a blinding, deafening, explosion-laden finale that could have capped off any number of interchangeable Jerry Bruckheimer flicks. Apr 14, 2013 Full Review Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Batman Begins summons up moments of great eloquence and power. If only its cast of characters was as fully inhabited as its turbulent city. Apr 14, 2013 Full Review Martin Carr CBR Batman Begins might have rescued the franchise from ignominy, but much of Christopher Nolan's DC debut suffers from pacing issues. The production design and grounded realism may elevate things, but this film has its flaws. Rated: 7/10 Aug 29, 2024 Full Review Stella Papamichael Radio Times Batman Begins swoops you up and doesn't let go till the end. Rated: 4/5 Aug 22, 2024 Full Review Akhil Arora AkhilArora.com This is the moment Nolan began to establish his blockbuster tendencies: dynamic camera movement, rich cinematography, and heavy use of a majestic background score. Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Pamela We really enjoyed the movie! Lots of action going on. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review Michael Best movie of 2023! Cant wait for the sequel! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/23 Full Review Ben W So great! As an origin story, it works incredibly well. The groundednessand grittyness was great. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/16/23 Full Review Ryan N This is one of the best origin stories for a comic book hero. Director C. Nolan did a fantastic job with Year One (his take on on it). When I first saw it back in 2005 in theaters, I didn't know what to except but I was blown away! Christian Bale was perfect as Batman. I am still torn between him and Michael Keaton as Batman, but Bale fits the character more. Michael Caine was great as Alfred and Liam Neeson as great as Ras Al Ghul. 1st time in a while to see Gary Oldman as a good guy (Lt Gordon). The way Nolan crafted the story from Bruce's journey to be a becoming Batman was great. Scarecrow was a great secondary villian! Was hoping he would continue in the other ones (had a small part in the 3rd one but not as Scarecrow). I recommend this movie! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/26/25 Full Review Jesse K It’s just amazing. Start to finish Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/25/25 Full Review Matt O “A solid, well-rounded Batman origin story” – 3.5/5 Batman Begins is an all-around good film that successfully rebooted the Batman franchise with a fresh, darker take. Christian Bale is excellent as Bruce Wayne, really capturing the complexity of the character. That said, I’m not as sold on him once he’s in the Batman suit—there’s something about his Batman persona that didn’t quite click for me as much. Michael Caine is fantastic as Alfred, arguably the best Alfred in any Batman movie. His warmth and grounded presence add a lot of heart to the story. Liam Neeson does well as Ra’s al Ghul, bringing a calm but threatening presence. However, since Ra’s is supposed to be a master martial artist, I was hoping to see more of those skills in action, but the movie doesn’t really showcase that as much as I’d like. Cillian Murphy stands out as the Scarecrow, delivering a creepy, unsettling villain that fits perfectly with the film’s darker tone. The story and plot are solid, balancing Bruce’s origin story with the larger threat to Gotham City. The fight scenes are well choreographed and intense, keeping the action engaging without going over the top. Overall, Batman Begins strikes a nice balance between character development, plot, and action, making it a strong foundation for the trilogy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Batman Begins

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Movie Info

Synopsis A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the mysterious League of Shadows. When Ducard reveals the League's true purpose -- the complete destruction of Gotham City -- Wayne returns to Gotham intent on cleaning up the city without resorting to murder. With the help of Alfred (Michael Caine), his loyal butler, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a tech expert at Wayne Enterprises, Batman is born.
Director
Christopher Nolan
Producer
Larry J. Franco, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas
Screenwriter
David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan, Bob Kane
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Syncopy, Di Bonaventura Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements|Disturbing Images|Intense Action Violence)
Genre
Action, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 15, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 9, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$206.9M
Runtime
2h 20m
Sound Mix
SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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