"Batman Begins"

Some stories need to be re-told from the beginning. And some need a make-over in the process. I think we can all agree that the legend of Batman fits both those tickets. And it's for just that reason that we were all nervous when first hearing about "Batman Begins." For years we've been spoonfed campy Batman stories with miscast heroes , laughable villains, and implausible stories. Well get ready to spit all that back into the face those producers, because this bat has a whole new story to tell.

"Batman Begins," starring such actors as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, and Morgan Freeman, attempts to tell the story of Batman from the beginning. Young Bruce Wayne watches his parents gunned down, and is scarred for life. Gotham's crime boss, Carmine Falcone, beats Bruce to exacting revenge on his parents' killer, so Bruce turns to a life of crime to better understand the criminal mind and ends up in a foreign prison. Here he is offered a chance to join the League of Shadows and, under the eyes of Ra's Al Ghul, and the tutelage of Henri Ducard, Wayne develops the skills necessary to combat evil. Returning to Gotham a changed man, Bruce Wayne is ready to clean up the city streets.

I'd recommend this movie if you want an evening with nothing to do, and no deep thoughts to ponder. There's nothing especially groundbreaking about this movie. The acting is good, and the story effectively resets the Batman franchise. What's good about that is it opens the door for Batman to head back down the Tim Burton / Michael Keaton path, and away from the crap that those other guys were churning out. And that's a good thing.