“It’s not what’s inside you, it’s what you do that defines who you are.” –Rachel Dawes, Batman Begins

At least, I believe that’s the quote from the movie. I might have to watch the movie again to get it right. Not that I would mind, actually. Perhaps it’s just the bias due to having just watched the movie, but I dare say that Batman Begins is the best superhero movie to date.

The Batman character has always been one of the most revered, for it alone had the ability to champion and pioneer the evolution of the darker superhero, one who was not always morally upright, or idealistic to a fault. Batman’s origin remains as one shrouded in agony and loss, his mission one driven by vengeance. Few other superheroes can claim such pain as their legacy. And thanks to the darker persona given to the Batman by writers such as Frank Miller, such pathos is given full reign in a retelling of the origin story in Batman Begins.

The famous beginnings of Batman are told in a manner that is instantly believable without detracting too far from the original story. As a young boy, Bruce Wayne is frightened by a horde of bats as they stream out of a cave beneath his house. This fear unnerves him so much that while watching an opera, he is traumatised by dancers portraying bats and encourages his parents to leave. The family is accosted by a desperate petty thief who ends up shooting both father and mother, killing them. The boy then grows up and after a series of events, realises that he wants to fight crime in order to atone for his guilt.

Christian Bale brings a brooding anti-hero feel to Gotham’s business heir apparent Bruce Wayne, one that hasn’t been seen since Michael Keaton played the Dark Knight. The rest of the movie refuses to give in to its comic book heritage, preferring to keep things realistic. Even when describing a temple filled with a secret ninja cult, director Christopher Nolan refuses to give in to the camp of the situation. The pace of the film is slow and stately without having the feel of a dragged corpse, perhaps in no small way due to the excellent scores by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Even the supporting cast do their bits to perfection without overshadowing the story. In particular, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson bring out their characters with such panaché that I am sure they were brilliant role models for their less experienced counterparts. Younger thespians such as Katie Holmes and Cillian Murphy, who despite working with such distinguished company in the midst of a huge franchise, hold their own in roles that would falter in the hands of lesser actors.

All in all, a top-rate story that makes one proud to be a comic-book fan.