Batman Begins - Nostalgia Critic

Dark Knight Month begins with Batman Begins! After the franchise was nearly destroyed cinematically, how did Nolan get things back on track?
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Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne from the death of his parents to his journey to become Batman and his fight to stop Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow from plunging Gotham City into chaos.
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DARK KNIGHT MONTH....BEGINS! Support this week's charity - www.ecad1.org/ Watch last weeks Nostalgia Critic here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jV64lGR7irl1mac Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome​

[@jerricablackcat4303]

Can you review Here Comes Peter Cottontail (2005)? I watched it on Cartoon Network once, and...I can't remember if they ever aired it again.

[@loganmitchell6754]

Let's gooooo

[@someinternetdude8959]

You should’ve called it bat-month

[@deshawnedwards6412]

That was a great crazy ass intro.

[@jerricablackcat4303]

Cool return of the Bat credit card!

[@coolnerdlll6053]

"Why do we fall, Master Wayne? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." "You still haven't given up on me?" "Never." Chills. Every. Time.

[@ryanmorejon5813]

Agreed 💯

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

yeah

[@goodnesswhy]

"You still haven't given up on me?" "Well, not until the third movie."

[@chasehedges6775]

@@goodnesswhy 😂😂

[@TheRealProudNoob]

Neva

[@elijahgemmill2000]

I love Falcone's whole monologue because he tries intimidating Bruce, but he unintentionally gives Bruce the advice he needs to become Batman.

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

I found it foreshadowing Scarecrow gassing him and making him confront his own fears.

[@n0r3mac]

“I never said thank you” “And you’ll never have to” Such a good line to close on, tells you everything you need to know about Batman in 5 words

[@jajabinx35]

Doug should do a special 'batman begins in five seconds' and just use that scene.

[@ryanstauffer119]

It’s also a way to sum up Batman and Jim’s relationship

[@SinisterBlitzo9]

"How do i access my sons browser history?" "You cant"

[@glennwelsh9784]

Batman Begins can actually be considered "nostalgic" now. Who else feels old thinking about that?

[@jwr2904]

Yeah, people are talking about the early 2000s like I used to talk about the 90s. Next thing you know you'll be hearing fall out boy and panic at the disco on an oldies station

[@ninjanibba4259]

@@jwr2904NOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@John-ct9zs]

@@jwr2904 Or how I used to talk about the 70s and early 80s...haha, you young whipper snapper

[@ManofSteel4889]

Fuck you and your accurate comment

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

16 years. More than a decade and a half. Thats nostalgic in my book.

[@LuinathTTG]

"you're just one man." "Now, we're two." Literally my favorite interaction between Gordon and Batman ever

[@jbishop2454]

“What was the point of doing all those push ups if you can’t lift a bloody log?!” Best line

[@GeneralKenobi75]

Agreed. Caine is the best Alfred in all the movies.

[@nahtesalinas1917]

"I hope you're not with the fire brigade"

[@Jaylobeans]

Lol

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

The intro of Batman getting sprayed with fear gas and seeing That Ridiculous Bat Credit Card was absolutely perfect. 10/10

[@platypusbunneh]

A WHAT credit card?

[@oliviawilliams6204]

I taught the bat credit card joke was buried by Linkara.

[@carloslopezortega3327]

Bat credit card.😂💀

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

But the sequey into the proper review was lazy.

[@officialbrucewayne]

Lmfao

[@georgethomas4567]

Scarecrow is actually kinda intimidating in this first film imo. The way he just doesn't give a damn about everything and even gets a bit excited at the thought of Batman having found them is unnerving.

[@Rat_Queen86]

Compared to the comic scarecrow, he’s as intimidating as a kitten

[@TheBatman39]

The worst Scarecrow is that weird junkie in Titans

[@musiclover_kb4913]

I love the scene between him and Falcone at Arkham Asylum, especially with the careless and casual manner in which he walks out of his room after spraying him with the fear toxins and says "well he's not faking, not that one" 😆

[@kamikazelemming1552]

@@TheBatman39 And the best one is probably Arkham Knight's. Shame he was pushed to the side by Ghost Joker.

[@N-GinAndTonicTM]

Fun Fact: The reason behind why he only has the mask and not a full costume, is because Nolan said "it was scary enough on its own"; and he was right. The idea of Scarecrow/Crane being a regular guy in a business suit; who becomes utterly terrifying just by slipping on a mask is one I'm all for. Cillian Murphy got screwed big time in this film.

[@phantomstrider]

It was a nice surprise to see NC cover one of my favourite movies of all time. Batman Begins definitely has its flaws, but it spoke to me so much when I first saw it at 16. And to this day so many of its quotes ring in my head. Whenever I see a bad DC movie, this movie reminds me "DC can have amazing movies."

[@Godzilla370]

It's an incredibly emotional film too. I think it has a gentleness that the sequels lacked a bit.

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

I've always wondered What If Batman Begins started The DC Cinematic Universe.

[@jajabinx35]

My favourite quote: " Criminals thrive in the indulgence of Society’s understanding " Still applies today.

[@phillipmoghaddam7240]

Now all I'm waiting for is for you to cross over on HIS show for once.

[@waltercorleone9531]

Batman Begins is one of my 3 favorite Batman movies along with The Dark Knight and the recently released The Batman.

[@Mr00Chief00]

I personally loved Neeson for the way he portrays Raz al Gul. His 'monotone' voice as you describe it is the result of a man who has learned to compose himself in every possible way, who has found purpose to change the world in a way he deems necessary. He's absolutely rational about even the most terrible of things like massmurder, annihilating cities etc. Would he really be more interesting if he sounded like Krusty the clown, with wildly varying voicetones? No, he's a sifu of sorts to his people. Calmness and composure are part of every bit of his character.

[@tomnorton4277]

Doug doesn't like Liam Neeson in general. Doesn't matter how good his performance is. The only Liam Neeson movies I've seen him review without bitching about his voice are the Chronicles of Narnia.

[@nobbynobbs8182]

Great, now I cannot unthink a Raz al Gul with a hilarious Krusty the clown voice

[@dustinwashburn1283]

It does build to his character. Someone who has seen things and has done things most wouldn't be able to imagine in their wildest nightmares. The regular world must be so mundane for somebody like that. In the comics and most animated media, he's usually been driven insane by the Lazarus pits, but with this, he's become a jaded warrior who has sold himself to his own cause.

[@iceman00behave]

Yeah that was definitely a superfluous criticism, just like him not liking the batsuit (or nearly any batsuit for that matter 🙄)

[@christopherhodges7607]

I think the "monotone" voice actually lends itself to Neesoms portrayal for two reasons. 1. He's teaching Bruce how to use and fight against deception and illusion. Yet despite all the training he received, it took Al Ghoul physically showing up and saying "I am Spartacus" for Bruce to figure out the truth. I honestly think he was waiting to see if Bruce was going to figure it out. 2. This is man who has toppled Empires, many of them from within. Stuff like that doesn't happen over night. It takes a great amount of patience, which is what I believe Neesom was trying to portray with his vocal tone for the part. Rah's Al Ghoul has been alive for centuries and has mastered the art of patience and control

[@Mattheman09]

For me personally this is what I’ve always liked about Christopher Nolan’s Batman. more then any movie adaptation it actually shows Bruce Wayne’s journey becoming physically and mentally stronger.he didn’t just rely on his suits and gadgets he also had a lot of mental strength. so every time I see him breaking limits, I feel all the more happy that batman overcame the impossible. Batman begins had him dealing with fear, dark knight had him dealing with anarchy. Dark knight rises had him dealing with pain.

[@sparkpenguin]

here it comes... wait for it... *anarchy is organized stateless society and is ideologically peaceful. ledger's joker was a straight up blackpilled antisocial terrorist who sometimes made a good point.* i still liked your comment though.

[@GeneralKenobi75]

I agree. And honestly, I like the Nolan films better than the Burton ones. Mainly because they actually told Batman's story rather than telling the story of one of his villains. In the first Burton movie it was more about the Joker than Batman. In the second it was more about Catwoman and Penguin than Batman. And honestly, Bale is a better Bruce Wayne than Keaton because he actually gets to be Bruce Wayne.

[@LucianDevine]

This movie highlights Bruce Wayne. Dark Knight highlights Batman. Dark Knight Rises...let's him retire in peace I guess?

[@The_Blue_Otaku]

Bruh I remember watching Batman Begins in theaters back in 2005 I was 4 years old at the time

[@kazinadbiralamadit6905]

@@GeneralKenobi75 actually you are not the only one who thinks that. Keaton also feels the same way, while he did enjoy playing the charecter in his own words "My movies were more about the Villains than my character, who was not written interesting in any way" don't know if I nailed it but it was something along those lines.

[@jgreg3596]

The shot of Batman standing on the building while the camera pans around after catching Falconi while the music swells is one of the most iconic shots in any superhero movies.

[@NobleRaider2747]

*Falcone Maroni didn't appear until *The Dark Knight*

[@ricjaredpalandiano1807]

That may be true. But I love those shots and moments in The Dark Knight.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@ricjaredpalandiano1807 Agreed. The Dark Knight has so many great moments

[@lunarlight3131]

nah

[@Dommbuscus]

The Batwing in the moon from Batman 1989 has it beat

[@totaldramarebooted]

Can we all agree that the Scarecrow is easily one of the most underrated and underutilized batman villains?

[@TheMastersForm]

At least he was really badass in Arkham Knight.

[@erickamakeeaina1649]

Arkham Knight had a great version of him, showing him as both a great threat in his own right and a depraved monster who's evil is on par with the Joker

[@totaldramarebooted]

But for movies?

[@retrosiren824]

Yes. He was my absolute favorite character in this movie and I wished he had his own film with the same actor haha

[@funnyblog100]

@@TheMastersForm Yeah but Arkham knight has a Joker and Jason Todd problem that kind of takes away from it. I’m like Joker you aren’t the main villain in this get out of Batman’s head I wanna see Scarecrow! Then there’s Jason Todd aka Arkham Knight who also is trying to be the main villain.

[@jerraldwest8531]

I can't believe I never picked up on this before, but the reason Bruce stayed in that prison was to punish himself for not saving his parents. He may have told himself it was still for training, but doesn't Bruce Wayne/Batman always either deny or ignore his true emotions?

[@timedragon5492]

I think the whole “Wayne family is full of good people” isn’t about how virtuousness is genetic. It shows that our leads moral compass comes from how many people he has to look up to.

[@GeneralKenobi75]

Agreed. It shows where Bruce got his inspiration from. His parents taught him that their wealth and position give them a responsibility to help those in need, not ignore them. One of the reasons I didn't like the Joker is because it decided to just make the Waynes rich assholes rather than the philanthropists they are supposed to be.

[@TheBatman39]

@@GeneralKenobi75 That's actually comic accurate

[@mikesmith145]

@@TheBatman39 meh it depends on the continuity

[@TheBatman39]

@@mikesmith145 In the main continuity the Waynes were good people

[@mikesmith145]

@@TheBatman39 oh my bad, I thought your comment was referring to the other guy’s second half of the comment about the Joker’s version of the Waynes

[@brandonmclendon5368]

Despite this movie being overshadowed by The Dark Knight, I consider it to be just as good and a true testament to how well Nolan handled the trilogy.

[@imbeingjudgemental644]

I honestly prefer it to dark night. This film bangs

[@jakel5892]

@@imbeingjudgemental644 I disagree, but I understand why. This is honestly one of my favorite movie trilogies.

[@Draliseth]

Glad to know I'm not the only one. I thought Bruce's emotions for Rachel resonated way better in this one. In TDK when he's sittin with his mask after she died always rang hollow and REALLY took me out of it. Also, the ending of this movie blew my mind so hard with how smooth they executed it that I was hysterical for 10 minutes.

[@acespectre5461]

Yeah Begins is the masterpiece we deserved

[@kingsazabi1988]

@@matthewvalente5877 I- I just... I got nothing to say but wow.

[@Kal_g]

The scene where Alfred and Bruce are talking after Bruce Saves Rachel, was one of the highlights for me. Everything from Alfred talking about threatening to call the men in white suits to take Bruce away, Bruce explaining how he's using the persona of Batman to fight crime, even Bruce saying "Damn good television" is a great moment.

[@thomasraines1396]

Alfred’s “Why do we fall sir?” to Bruce and his “Never!” after is one of my favorite moments.

[@thegrayyernaut]

The bit when he talked about not wanting Bruce to come back when Bruce was gone for 7 years had me, too.

[@thomasraines1396]

@@thegrayyernaut that was also great.

[@CesarDaSalad]

"Because I fell down a fucking well, that's why!"

[@thomasraines1396]

@@CesarDaSalad is that a reference to something?

[@thomascathey7090]

“Neva!”

[@michaelplowman8674]

I think the exchange between Gordon and Batman at the end is possibly the best in super hero cinema. "I never said thank you." "And you'll never have to."

[@Subgenrelol]

17:15 i never really thought about how lacking the Scarecrow fear sequences were. They could have made him like Batman’s version of MCU Mysterio, but a lot darker and genuinely frightening

[@francisfatta]

It feels like this movie isn’t exactly talked about as much as the other two in this trilogy. Though I guess compared to how amazing The Dark Knight was and how split people have always been on The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Begins sort of blends into the background more

[@GeneralKenobi75]

Yeah. And personally, I like this one more than the last two.

[@SK008]

@@GeneralKenobi75 it's the movie that brought Batman back to life.. introduced him to a whole another generation and set a style that has been repeated in so many films..I would say that this movie is better than the dark knight in some ways because it has the essential task of setting everything up, retelling an origin story in a compelling, original and grounded way.. Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul was a delight to watch...The Dark Knight didn't have to do so much of a heavy lifting for the character of Batman because this movie did the essential task for the rest of trilogy....

[@GeneralKenobi75]

@@SK008 Exactly. Unlike Burton, Nolan actually focused on the character of Batman. Even the Dark Knight didn't do much of that. And yes, despite the Critic's dumping on his monotone, Neilson was perfect for Ra's al Ghul.

[@SK008]

@@GeneralKenobi75 The Dark Knight focused on what makes Batman necessary for Gotham.. whereas Batman Begins focused on what makes Gotham necessary for Bruce Wayne.. that's a surprise that people found Liam Neeson to be monotone.. he had subtle infections on his voice and subtle facial expressions.. he brought forward what makes Ra's scary.. coz he was always in control and his misguided ideals are displayed with fantastic acting of Neeson.. I can understand when people say "Oh it's another villain gas plot again".. but they tied the origins of the fear toxin well with Ra's and scarecrow so even that complaint is kind of weird..

[@DivinePearl]

This was my favorite Batman

[@JDWalker495]

“Your compassion is weakness your enemies won’t share. That’s why it’s so important.” That’s a Biblical Level Quote to live by (f*ckin love it)

[@francescomanzo3939]

blasphemous

[@francescomanzo3939]

*level quote.

[@DrDolan2000]

It's what seperates heroes from villains

[@Dan-ch8kv]

The themes of the Dark Knight Trilogy are Fear, Chaos, and Power. Nolan did a great job.

[@kronos1794]

Was the last one more about power or faith? I got more of a faith vibe with the jump requiring the person to jump untethered and how Bane initially was stronger than Bruce because he was committed to his cause while Bruce had given up at that point. Only when Bruce learned to believe again, the people began to believe in justice again, and Bruce learned to surrender the mantle did he win. Either way the films were great.

[@AngelofMusic04]

Not power. Pain.

[@Dan-ch8kv]

@@AngelofMusic04 can we meet in the middle and say pain because of power?

[@GIBBO4182]

Hope?

[@Skywarp-kr4ft]

Legit let out an audible “Yes” when he said he was doing Burton 89 and Mask of the Phantasm. Also loved the “YOIKS AND AWAY” gag

[@ninjabunnywholivesinsideaw8216]

The Scarecrow is such an underrated villian and Cillian Murphey did a fantastic job playing him! Scarecrow is one of my favorite Batman villians ever and he deserves more recognition.

[@pieceofschmidtgamer]

You know, if Bruce's dad can say "don't be afraid" after _being shot._ Then he's doing pretty alright.

[@pieceofschmidtgamer]

@Carterb92 Yeah, and? HE HAD A FUCKING HOLE IN HIS CHEST! I doubt most people would be able to string two words together let alone continue to philosophize with his son on the nature of humanity!

[@jwr2904]

@@pieceofschmidtgamer touchy touchy eh

[@hamstsorkxxor]

@@pieceofschmidtgamer Actually it's almost the opposite, a lot of people do not even realise they've been shot at first, even if the wound ends up lethal. People getting shot and immediately falling over dead is mostly a Hollywood trope. Dropping someone quickly usually requires multiple hits, and it is not uncommon for two shooters kill each other with multiple hits each.

[@stevensmokes5476]

And Bruce was forever afraid I still can't stop laughing 🤣

[@charleskimball7058]

Jack Gleeson suffers from what I call the Margaret Hamilton effect; that is, he’s a nice guy who played a despicable villain so well that people automatically connect him with that character when they see him. Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, experienced the same thing

[@hunterkiller1440]

Pity DC didn't use this as their Iron Man for their DC Cinematic Universe. With that final scene with the Joker card at the end, Sequel bait done well.

[@chadjustice8560]

I mean iron man is extremely meh and I don't think bale wanted to be batman for a bunch of movies.

[@ivancerecer5758]

@@chadjustice8560 Two things First, Iron Man 1 is great, fight me Second, yeah you're right, but im pretty sure it was Christopher Nolan who wanted to keep his Batman grounded in reality, instead of having him in the Justice League (plus, his story was over)

[@jacob4920]

@@ivancerecer5758 Nolan flat-out refused to let WB use his Batman, when they came asking about the DCEU, back in 2014. That's why they ultimately went with Ben Affleck. Also... "Iron Man" 1 is okay. But it's pretty far down on the rung of great MCU films.

[@lolayaiii5056]

I don't know if it's true but apparently the WB did want Christopher Nolan to do the same thing that Marvel was doing now but starting it off with Batman Begins but Christopher Nolan didn't want to and I think like it has been said before, but I don't think Christian Bale wanted to be Batman for a long time like Robert Downey Jr with Iron Man.

[@Webshooters1]

They wanted to if it's to be believed. Nolan and Bale however weren't on-board for that

[@wattsink2009]

15:40 In this movie’s defense, I think the choppy editing in SOME of these action scenes was done for a reason. This one for example, is his first fight as Batman. So, it’s deliberately hard to see because they’re building up to when Batman reveals himself to Falcone at the end of the scene. Also, both here and when he’s infiltrating Arkham Asylum to save Rachel, It’s deliberately hard to see because Batman is all about stealth, not spectacle. So this way of shooting it conveys the surprise and disorientation that someone being attacked by Batman would feel. However, this argument does not apply for the Batmobile chase, the training scenes, the one-on-one in his burning mansion, or the climax. All of those should have been filmed better.

[@Castragroup]

i thought they were trying to make batman like predator which is great

[@Nick64266]

The film is so great I really don’t notice. Yeah the warehouse fight in BvS is better edited but so what? That film had poor story telling it didn’t matter all that much. And to be honest I think Batman Begins has great action scenes. The tumbler chase is still my favorite car chase of all time!

[@talynhastime9343]

I really wish they had used the Scarecrow better in this film. Cillian Murphy was such a good choice given that he can nail down "unassuming" and "intense" very well with his eyes alone, which are the two biggest descriptors I would give to a character like Jonathan Crane. Oh well.

[@ElSalsaRey]

Joffrey being the little kid led to the greatest moment from the HISHE for this movie. When it's revealed that Scarecrow's toxin had been being poured into the water supply, and needed to be inhaled to work, Gordon muses on how that's why "spaghetti night" turned out poorly. Jump to Joffrey rising into the window with flames behind him while his mom screams hysterically.

[@ninjavanish2361]

I seen that one as well. Guess that’s means Gordon’s wife flipped out on Spaghetti night.

[@chasehedges6775]

Batman Begins: A solid start to The Dark Trilogy.

[@SEANIEHSHINE]

FACT🤷🏿‍♂️

[@darthcinema4262]

Still a great film

[@SEANIEHSHINE]

@@darthcinema4262 definitely

[@tripogata5846]

Way better than rises I think

[@chasehedges6775]

@@tripogata5846 But nowhere near as awesome as The Dark Knight(2008)

[@batshineman174]

"It's not who you are underneath, but you do that defines you." That's easily one of my favorite quotes ever.

[@st33lze]

That roof jumping joke with Daffy duck had me crying🤣

[@dougbriglmen716]

Likewise😂

[@stephentsai6762]

I actually liked the fighting/action being somewhat chaotic and hard-to-follow, at least early in the film. In my mind, especially to the common hood, fighting the Batman should be like, in the words of the film, like fighting a "wraith" and not just a skilled fighter. There's a favorite moment of mine when he takes the first batch of hoods out one by one in the shadows, until the last one, in desperation shouts "where are you?!" only to have Batman behind him whispering "here" and instantly finish him off. Note that the fight scenes when he's fighting a peer like Ras himself on the train, that scene is mostly shot fairly straight forward, since a skilled fighter like Ras wouldn't be nearly as intimidated as a common hood, so that fight should be shot as a match of near-equals.

[@Nick64266]

I didn’t mind it either. The film is so great it’s barley noticeable to me. Yeah the warehouse fight in BvS was better edited, but the film was so lame I really didn’t care when it did happen.

[@thegunslinger1363]

"It's not who I am underneath. It's what I do that defines me." One thing that will always make the Dark Knight Trillogy for me. Is the incredible score from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.

[@alim.9801]

James Newton Howard is amazing, probably my favorite film score composer (followed by Thomas Newman and Michael Giacchino they're also awesome)

[@mattaardsma8245]

"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." "Its not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." "You either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain." I can only imagine Nolan writes his scripts while eating Chinese take-out, for so many fortune cookie sayings to make it in? Or David S. Goyer.

[@TheMadTurtle]

"Its not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." Part of one of my favorite NC jokes.

[@Juan_rivera]

🤣

[@samf.s.7731]

Lol fortune cookies. I did like the exchanges with Rachel Dawes in the 1st two films. The hotel scene, she's basically just saying "you're a vapid idiot pretty boi, and I couldn't give 2 shits you're rich, heck just speaking to you is what I'd consider as wasting my time". In the 2nd movie, when I was younger I couldn't understand why she'd go for Harvey Dent. As an adult, to me it makes perfect sense. Someone with her moral beliefs would totally go for the guy who would solve all the problems without punching anyone. Done right, through the judicial system. He wasn't just Gotham's knight in shining armor, he was hers. Nolan is just terrific here. 10/10, love those two films in terms of writing and directing.

[@ZackaryBiagi]

When you realize Batman Begins when he's starting out his Batman voice, it's the best he sounds in this trilogy.

[@JoakimOtamaa]

I guess they modified his voice in the later movies like they edited Bane's voice. When Batman speaks calmer in Begins he sounds awesome.

[@Cheesehead302]

It's literally to the point of being comical in the other movies, this first one is much better imo

[@CornishCreamtea07]

That's for the best given that he has the most amount of screentime in the first Film. Begins: 69:30 Dark Knight: 35:30 Risers: 46

[@MrMarinus18]

6:58 I strongly disagree. Kindness like that does run in the family, not because of birth but because of upbringing. Your parents teach you to be kind and virtues and it actually is a great lesson. That if you are kind and virtues your children will be as well.

[@cassidillard5117]

Bale based his intimidating voice off of Conroy's subtle change in the Batman Animated Series.

[@jordanread5829]

Even though the action is not that great, I feel Nolan used it as a strength in that fight scene at the docks. We are seeing it from Falcone's perspective. So all he sees is a dark figure beating his goons extremely fast with barely any lighting.

[@thefirstbourne149]

Except there are cooler ways to do this. He does have a point. It does kinda just look like a badly cut fight scene. I don’t think any of the hand-to-hand fights are particularly strong in the first two.

[@npcimknot958]

fights were never nolan’s strong point. but this one i give a pass cause this movie wasn’t about fighting.

[@npcimknot958]

@@thefirstbourne149 tbf, hollywood was horrible with fights til johnwick lol.

[@Ineedgames]

Except we all know Nolan cant direct action for shot in all of his movies.

[@swagman8011]

I loved this film. It brought Batman back to his roots after Batman and Robin, and this film had good horror elements. Another thing I loved about this film was the joker tease at the end.

[@darthcinema4262]

Love that part.

[@Draliseth]

That ending still gives me chills and gets me teary. "I never said thank you!" "And you'll never have to."

[@rasenshuriken9076]

Agreed. Cillian Murphy was a natural pick for Scarecrow.

[@JoakimOtamaa]

@@rasenshuriken9076 They should reuse him in The Batman sequel and make him the main villain. If Marvel brought back J.K. Simmons back so could DC.

[@nsasupporter7557]

@@rasenshuriken9076 “potato sack head” lol 😂

[@sixthjayhawk]

I think a Batman movie having compelling Bruce Wayne scenes, that’s a real testament of its quality. That’d be like watching a Superman movie and being more riveted watching him as Clark Kent

[@GeneralKenobi75]

Personally that's one of the reasons I like the Bale Bruce Wayne better than the Keaton one. Because he actually does the billionare playboy routine. Keaton's Wayne just comes off as a reclusive weirdo who anyone would suspect might be hiding something. Bale actually can pull off that charming but shallow playboy persona that deflects attention. From the scene at the restaurant where he's coming in with the foreign supermodels in each arm, to the party where he pretends to be completely drunk. Bale pulls it off well.

[@ninjanibba4259]

@@GeneralKenobi75 exactly, even Val Kilmer did better than Keaton

[@GeneralKenobi75]

@@ninjanibba4259 That's debatable, but not unwarrented. But Keaton's portrayal also has to do with Burton's directing and its clear he did not put a lot of thought into Batman's character.

[@ninjanibba4259]

@@GeneralKenobi75 yeah

[@ThePa1riot]

I think that’s part of the point though. If we only see the Super and not the man, we don’t get the elements that make him human. He just becomes the low hanging fruit criticism of being unrelatable. Seeing Clark on the Kent farm sipping lemonade with his pops talking about life before or after seeing him stop a landslide or tsunami is peak Superman. We see what he does and why he does it.

[@jidtoons]

21:45 “Thus Gotham perished because Gordon couldn’t drive stick” The way he said it so slowly just made me burst out laughing! 😂😂😂

[@MrTubeStuck]

I still use Rachel's line "its not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you" to ground myself back when I get too frustrated with everyday life. This movie had problems, but as a Batman geek this spoke a million words to me.

[@ivanakum61]

I like the Wayne family is very virtuous because in some adaptations its almost an obsession of Bruce/Batman to save Gotham in their memory its like Bruce is so guilt ridden of his parents' death that he needs to save Gotham so he doesn't shame the family.

[@samfilmkid]

Okay and that “Yoiks and away” joke had me in stitches after a pretty rough week. So thank you for that!

[@LadyOnikara]

I always loved that cartoon!

[@miklein01]

Was not expecting that and I was dying

[@korkronwarlord]

I'll never be able to watch that scene again without bursting out laughing.

[@WoodyWoodpecker1953]

I'm glad you're happy.

[@takeshikujo2909]

“Morgan Freeman! Have you come to narrate my death?!” What an honor that would be! 🤩

[@jetfowl]

You know, if a movie sets the standard for its genre, and all the subsequent movies in that genre... it's more than just a 'good' movie. Good movies don't define a genre. I'm not saying it's perfect, but you have to recognize that a movie with this sort of impact can't simply be just 'good'.

[@william1988-dec]

Fun fact. The movie Christian Bale did right before taking on the role of Bruce Wayne was THE MACHINIST (2004) in which Bale lost over 60 pounds and was weighing only 120 pounds at 6 feet tall at the end of filming. Then Christopher Nolan casted him for Bruce Wayne and had only a short period of time to return to a normal weight with extra muscle mass.

[@andrewwang8021]

I always have confidence in this channel's comedic abilities, so I certainly wasn't surprised by the humor, but my goodness, you guys really provided some nice critiques of the film that I hadn't really thought about before. Seriously, Scarecrow is so criminally underused!

[@thesurvivorssanctuary6561]

This x 1000.

[@theseproblemsmatter1]

13:32 This was really funny. Solid edit lmaoo

[@ninjanibba4259]

@kevindiesal I always thought Bane was the one who took the reins cuz he felt he was most worthy, egotistical and narcissistic and backing that up with muscle would shake anyone in their boots

[@Nightsight77]

The reason why the villains are understated is because Christopher Nolan, Unlike previous Batman movies, didn’t want the bad guys to over shadow the main character, that being Batman

[@npcimknot958]

budget and studios

[@shainewhite2781]

Kurt Russell, Chris Cooper and Dennis Quaid were considered for Jim Gordon.

[@swampthing94]

Kurt Russell would've been awesome

[@jessedellross3245]

Love this movie. The twist of Ra's true identity was FANTASTIC. And apart from the fight with bane, the fight with Ra's is the best in the trilogy.

[@gillroygarlic3616]

I just saw the Batman. It was really good, but Batman begins is still my favorite Batman/ superhero movie. It really built an amazing world that the dark knight/ rises benefitted from.

[@AceHufflepuff]

You ever just take a drive at night, on a long road, like a freeway, and turn Molossus on full blast? What a great stress reliever.

[@korkronwarlord]

Done it several times. Hard to resist speeding up a bit too much at times.

[@klimmr]

13:42 I thought Daffy Duck went to the animated DC World dressed as Superman.

[@terrancedixon248]

He was the dark knight in the crossover comic

[@redmangc]

Who would have guessed 15 years ago you'd be at the point that "Batman Begins" would actually be able to be in a Nostalgic Category.

[@ChannelAwesome]

Feel old now...gonna go grab a drink

[@lorne510]

@@ChannelAwesome what are you going to use to purchase said beer a Bat Credit Card?

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

To quote the late great Norm Macdonald and something the Scarecrow i'm sure thinks about even to this day is “I never do impressions, but I probably should. People like that stuff.”

[@ultimablackmage]

The Daffy Duck audio at the failed Batman escape fits too well! It just needed the clip of Porky Pig laughing at the end from that same cartoon.

[@Amarianee]

14:46 to be fair, Christian (like many actors who do this) massively regretted doing the scratchy voice because it was super rough on his throat. He did it in audition/rehearsal, and they loved it, so wanted him to do it for the whole film (a few others have done this with other roles and had the same problem). That's probably why his real voice dropped in a few times; it was probably when he was having rougher days/multiple takes. Bale is well known for his MASSIVE commitment to roles (The Machinist) so it's unsurprising that he didn't argue when they asked him to keep the voice.

[@Modding_Jackster]

I remember owning a Blu-Ray box set of all three Dark Knight movies, I did watch some of them and going through the menus as a kid and dang, Batman is a franchise that is milked too much yet we still want more movies of this guy.

[@GenericProtagonist118]

What I want personally is a Batman/Superman movie where we see them slowly become friends and teammates. Something that has hints of both characters franchises. A little bit of dark and light perfectly mixed together without ruining anything (like Marvel movies do).

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

You know a lot of people think Bruce Wayne's parents were killed by gunshots but they were actually killed by a vending machine

[@thesurvivorssanctuary6561]

I thought it was weeping angels wielding vending machines! Huh, shows how much I know. I wonder if I should re-evaluate Mmy: "Hitler was actually a robot being controlled by Merlin and Atlantean magics" theory🤔... Nah! That's just rock solid science, because Hitler was actually made out of stone!

[@TomMSTie1138]

That Daffy Duck reference was friggin' hilarious!

[@quietchap]

17:20 I wonder if Doug knows that Robert England (Freddy Krueger) voiced Scarecrow in Injustice 2. I still have hopes they'll bring him back for some sort of animated movie. He's a great fit for the role

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

College age Bruce (on Wayne Manor): "If I had my way, I would tear it down brick for brick" Ends the movie rebuilding the mansion brick for brick.

[@grapeshot]

I like the part of the movie when the Scarecrow was going nuts and he saw Batman flying over the city and he was saying all kind of crazy crap. One of my favorite episodes from Batman the Animated Series. Is when Scarecrow had Batgirl thinking that because of her death Batman and her father Commissioner Gordon we're at each other's throats.

[@AndreNitroX]

Yes scary episode

[@chrisstick5403]

The Bat Credit Card gag never gets old. So relatable!

[@3CFilms]

I said I liked this movie instead of loving it fans were so mad 😩 just shows you how passionate some are for this movie & I wish it hit me the same way

[@thephantomsplit]

It's all good Chris. I respect your opinion. I myself am not crazy about this movie, but I do like it.

[@megamaddox3372]

Hi Chris

[@Modding_Jackster]

OMG, 3C Films commenting on a Nostalgia Critic video, What a twist.

[@LumpyAdams]

Capeshitters are something else.

[@theseproblemsmatter1]

This is one of those things that walks so the rest can run. The movie wasn't flashy but it got the job done for the future installments

[@BasicStockMan]

I like your Scarecrow tangent. Freddy Kreuger is also a great comparison. So much so that Netherrealm hired Robert Englund to voice him in Injustice 2.

[@RealCFZ]

17:20 funny thing is Robert Englund plays Scarecrow in Injustice 2.

[@Markimark151]

Batman Begins is what revived the Batman movie franchise in the 2000s, I’m glad Christopher Nolan directed this movie, hopefully you’ll review Joker which you said it’s you’re new favorite movie in one of your previous Critic videos.

[@robertlauncher]

Did he really? Neat

[@Markimark151]

@@robertlauncher he said Joker is his favorite movie of 2019, and said the movie has so much impact on him, that it could be up there with The Dark Knight and Clockwork Orange.

[@lupinthenerd439]

He never said it. He just said that he really liked it

[@Markimark151]

@@lupinthenerd439 yes he did, Doug talked about it in his later movie reviews that after multiple viewings of Joker with him and his brother Rob, he has said it has become one of his new favorite movie!

[@lupinthenerd439]

@@Markimark151 maybe he said favorite of 2019, not of all time

[@CrimsonFox36]

The scene where Bruce pulls Falconi out of the car makes me laugh, because as the viewer Bruce is responding "Im Batman" to Falconi saying "What are you?" But from a logical perspective, Bruce wouldnt have been able to hear that. So, from my point of view, Bruce lands on the car, punches out the glass, pulls Falconi through the sunroof and says "Im Batman!" without prompt. and i cant stop laughing at that thought

[@leemcqueen500]

Maybe he’s got Falconi’s car bugged with audio 😂

[@oxtheunlikelycontemplator2682]

Cars aren't very well sound proof so he may very well have heard him.

[@justinchrist4910]

The way you explained that thought was masterful and now has me in tears😂

[@averagegamecritic]

He’s a good kindly Alfred, but not the badass Alfred. The Waynes doing SOME good makes sense to instill him with morals, that we don’t see much of. He DOES do nice things, and aside from a line or two about orphanage, not really.

[@Chrisx005x]

Scarecrow should frequently be the first main antagonist in any kind of introductory piece with Batman on screen if not always. Joker, then followed by Catwoman and even Riddler are my first three favorites in Rogues', but Scarecrow is so underused. And yes, we did essentially get the gist of that with Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow in Batman Begins, but there was so much more character development left on the table for him and to be candid in the rest of the entire Nolan trilogy. It's as though he was reduced practically to a cameo role honestly. My favorite version of the character is the redesign of him from the animated series. Since from what we know, "fear" is what basically created Batman and Bruce Wayne uses that to any extreme for "morally good" reasons" whereas Dr. Jonathan Crane is exploiting people's fears due to selfish motives, then it's the ideal counter to each others' intentions while using the same means and how it ties into the overarching tropes. With that being said, I still love how this movie along with many others really kickstarted how comic book movies were to be seen very seriously again as moving pieces of graphic art, social commentaries even and contemporary mythological storytelling.

[@CCneirnen1715]

I love that you’ve mentioned that the building they used for Wayne Enterprises is the Chicago Board of Trade building! These movies might’ve had their flaws, but I am always so honored that they chose Chicago to shoot the first two in. I like to think we made a pretty good Gotham.

[@francescomanzo3939]

*trade. *board.

[@matthiasrauert8397]

Even today these reviews are so refreshing, mixing entertainment with some rly valid critcism while not taking itself to serious. In reviews like these it rly shows that he is doing this for such a long time that he has become pretty good at staying objective.

[@mas8705]

13:29- My favorite joke of the episode. Maybe Daffy was onto something when he wanted to be Batman…

[@jameshunt4611]

13:35 I was enjoying a nice coffee, now it’s all over my screen 🤣🤣🤣

[@toysouldier1]

I feel like the main reason Bales' Batman voice doesnt sound as bad in this film is because he doesnt use it as much, and also this version isnt as gutturall as the other 2 films. Like in this film at least he knows when the situation is serious and to stop using that voice, like when Rachel was hallucinating in his car. But the other two films he always uses it in every scenario that hes in the costume and it gets really old really fast.

[@darkservantofheaven]

Fun fact: the "bats are nocturnal" Bale actually fell asleep on the bed. It was so comfortable

[@geardog24]

"I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you." Only in the movies is Batman allowed to be this smart.

[@Fiveash-Art]

It's so bad ass how he rolls his eyes going completely white before he flies off. Just a cool little touch for an already great moment.

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

The Dark Knight Trilogy fans: “We love Batman!” TAS fans: “You think you love Batman? You mearly adopted Batman. We were born with him, molded by him, we didn’t see the Dark Knight Trilogy till we were men (and women)”

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

Lmao 🤣

[@darthcinema4262]

"But why so serious?"

[@titanguy7316]

I mean, I was almost 18 when I saw Dark Knight, so....I guess this tracks.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

I think TAS fans also live with Bats in their house

[@titanguy7316]

@@matthewvalente5877 Kilmer? Clooney? Schumacher movies? But if you want to live with your deluded bad taste, go ahead I guess...

[@ursaminor9780]

I gotta say, I really appreciated the voice. Yeah, it’s kinda silly, but it’s also weirdly practical. It’s no secret this is a more grounded take on Batman. This isn’t a universe where glasses render you unrecognizable, so it would make sense people remember your voice as well. And given Bruce is a celebrity who’s making a public ass of himself regularly, his voice is gonna be on the news a lot, enough for a lot of people to start to recognize it. And if you have to alter your voice, going deeper and more intense is certainly preferable than going higher or lighter.

[@catalinamelo9932]

Problem is Bale did it- he can be VERY scary. But voice is not his forte.

[@ryanimaniac]

Something I realized upon rewatching all these films recently is that Bale’s voice is honestly the best in Begins. Not nearly as gravely as it is in Dark Knight or Rises

[@adammartin5866]

I like the Batman voice in this one. It absolutely makes sense someone as famous as Bruce Wayne would have to mask his voice to not be recognized.

[@ShadowSonic2]

It's funny how the opening skit has Bat-Doug's "Greatest Fear" be stuff from Batman and Robin... When MAD Magazine spoofed Begins, they had Bale-Batman's fear gas hallucination be Joel Schumacher!

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

Listen i'm not gonna say it would make the film better or not in fact it probably worsen it, but i kind of wish someone said "WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS? THE ICE AGE!"

[@BlazerK1914]

One of the finest Batman movies I’ve seen.

[@dylanogg347]

Even if it's only an idea: Morgan Freeman narrating Batman's death is a godsend.

[@wjzav1971]

Also to note how stupid the League is: They pride themselves on collapsing empires because those turned into cesspoles of violence and unruliness, but don't consider that an empire collapsing often leads to just as much chaos, anarchy and crime.

[@thiagoteixeira6537]

I love this film! Yes it's not perfect but it gave a much needed great reintroduction to the character on the big screen and I will always be grateful to Nolan for that!

[@shainewhite2781]

Henry Cavill, Joshua Jackson, Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, and Josh Hartnett were considered for Batman.

[@aarlavaan]

As was Cillian Murphy

[@GamerLegend.97]

@@aarlavaan there is video of Murphy trying for Batman in tuxedo

[@aarlavaan]

@@GamerLegend.97 indeed there is.

[@GamerLegend.97]

@@aarlavaan and then there's videos of Christian Bale trying out for Batman while wearing Val kilmer sonar suit from Batman forever

[@louisduarte8763]

For this movie, I heard Cillian Murphy auditioned for Batman, but Nolan thought he came off too creepy. Which made him perfect for The Scarecrow.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

Why does the Scarecrow look like a worst version of the Wicker man if he accidentally urinated himself.

[@ivorytorea]

Honestly, after rewatching the movie recently, I actually think those first 40 minutes of Batman Begins are actually so much better than I remembered them. So much of the dialogue and character introductions are on point, not just for the movie but defining the idea of Batman as a whole. The conversation with Rachel and the barscene with Falcone right after are getting much too little credit in the overall scheme of the trilogy. My two favourite parts in particular being that when Bruce comes back from training and gaining all that power, he still comes back trying to rely on a gun, being denied revenge he then is confronted with Falcone who is completely oblivious to Bruce already being a highly trained assassin...but he doesn´t even need to know. It is for Bruce to realize that after half an hour of training montage, his power is basically useless if not being adapted to the ways that this city works. I think they are doing far more than simply introducing the direction the series will go into but by themselves they already encapsulate not just Gotham and Batman but the fine ways that they both are living concepts of far reaching and indepth plots and conflicting interests that make them up to be what they are in such intricate and organic ways as they both exist, worse without the other. Also, I think this Batman trilogy becoming so successful, or even created at all they way it was, was probably not possible without the prior movies being cornier and different tonewise. Sometimes a series almost needs the fluctuation from campy to brooding, lighthearted to heavy and dark, just to break away from all movies feeling too same-y. Even if all dark and brooding Batman comics were amazing pieces of storytelling, for a series going on for so long and extending over different timeperiods, I almost don´t wanna blame some of the failed pieces. A Thor Ragnarok is a great movie by itself, but probably it is seen as even better than it actually is in context of the Thor movies that surrounded it. I think the same is happening the other way around with the first two parts of this trilogy, great movies by themselves, but made even better as a "breath of fresh air" in comparison to what came before.

[@jaredreyes5056]

When Nelson introduces himself he calls himself Ducard. Comic fans would have recognized that name as one of the people that trained Bruce. Most people would guess he actually Ras, but it was a nice add on to potential throw people off.

[@katherinestephen9365]

So sorry friend, Liams last name is pronounced Nesson, (trying to help) I understand the similarity and confusion between the two names 😊👍

[@DarkKnightofAnime]

honestly being the first film in the trilogy it had that weird effect where I liked it fine enough when it first came out but in context of all three Nolan films it's aged pretty damn well all things considered

[@darthcinema4262]

I actually felt the same way about Dark Knight the first time I saw it. Now I love that movie to death

[@matthewvalente5877]

@@darthcinema4262 the trilogy sucked ass bvs was better and bale is the worst batman ever

[@breslinhoward6992]

@@matthewvalente5877 shut up Snyder fan

[@matthewvalente5877]

@@breslinhoward6992 its not that i just do not think these are good movies bale's performance also sucked

[@darthcinema4262]

@@matthewvalente5877 BvS is fucking awful and made me want to scream. Affleck is not a good Batman, mostly because of the terrible writing.

[@ChamarM]

17:20 i love that he said that because Robert Englund voiced Scarecrow in Injustice 2

[@dayvin408]

That Chief Wiggum bit was just too perfect 🤣

[@georgemiser]

Yeah, not to tell you this, Doug, but Thomas Wayne has never been "Just a Rich Guy" He's always been a doctor, from the earliest days of the Batman mythos. The Waynes have always been a big deal in Gotham.

[@paulieluppino1856]

1:10 ... Clearly, Dough and Tamara were in different rooms when they took the shot, cause otherwise, Dough would've freak out.... A BAT- CREDIT CAAAARD!!!! XDXD