Batman Begins (2005)

When I say 'superhero', what's the first thing to come to your head? Superman flying around with his pants on over his trousers? Spiderman spraying Green Goblin with his silly string? How about a dark, moody shadow of a man that is out to salvage a criminally corrupt city from the brink of destruction? Batman Begins is a far cry from the 'dunudunudunudunu-BATMAN!' days of old and completely redefines the superhero genre. How's that for a prequel? Now, let the praise begin. There's a huge emphasis on storytelling here, which is what we really need in an origins story. All out action is sacrificed for a very thoughtful, philosophical and, well, Liam Neeson approach for the first half. All your questions will be answered as you watch Bruce Wayne climb mountains, learn to become a ninja, conquer his fear of bats and all in the name of true justice. It's a story told with passion, and it blows things like X-Men Origins clean out of the water in terms of the wow factor. By that I mean that seeing Wolverine's operation was empty and predictable, but the discovery of the Batcave is thrilling, knowing what it will become. There are moments like this around every corner. See the Batmobile before it became the Batmobile. See Bruce gloss up his armour with the bat logo. See Lucius Fox hand over billions of dollar's worth of bat-kit over to Bruce in the form of grapple guns, utility belts and bat-shurikens. Every 15 minutes there's a 'Oh my gosh there's a ' moment that all fit together to create the best superhero film yet when the action kicks in. It might not have the destruction of a Hulk film, or the punching-the-air satisfaction of a Superman film, but Batman has something else. He's got stealth, style, and moves like a shadow. He's a symbol that hammers criminals without breaking a sweat. No superhero has the sheer ninja abilities to take on the bad guys, and therefore, despite not actually having any powers, Batman has the edge over any superhero, and thereby any of their films, including new flashy ones like The Avengers and X-Men First Class. The characters, plot and script all shine in their own right given space away from the action too. Every single character in Batman is a complete pro, be it Ducard the ninja (Liam Neeson[!]), Alfred (Michael Caine), Fox (Morgan Freeman) or even Bruce Wayne himself (Christian Bale). A real bonus for us is also the surprising double act between Bruce and Alfred. There's many a one-liner to be had in these scene snippets, which is a welcome addition to Begins' arsenal of praise. A true highlight though is the plot. Bruce uses his anger towards the criminal who killed his parents to become an ninja and subsequently returns to Gotham City as Batman to save it from a grisly death at the hands of one of the greatest villains of all-time: Scarecrow. All these elements of film combine to make a fantastic Batman experience that puts all other superhero attempts to shame (looking at you Green Lantern!). Batman has returned in such style that it not only redefines the Caped Crusader, but the entire superhero genre. The bar has been set, and there's no room for shoddy superhero films anymore. So begins the age Batman's dominance, and he doesn't look set to step down anytime soon.