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, Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman providing support. The film reboots the Batman film series by portraying Bruce Wayne's origin story, from his parents' deaths to his journey to become Batman and his fight to keep Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow from wreaking havoc on Gotham City.
After Batman & Robin was lambasted by reviewers and underperformed at the box office, Warner Bros. Pictures scrapped all future Batman pictures, including Joel Schumacher's planned Batman Unchained. Between 1998 and 2003, numerous directors worked with Warner Bros. to revive the franchise. After rejecting Joss Whedon's Batman origin story remake in December 2002, Warner Bros. engaged Nolan to direct a new feature in January 2003. Nolan and Goyer started working on the picture in early 2003. Aiming for a darker, more realistic tone than previous films, one of their key goals was to elicit emotional engagement from the audience in both the central character's Batman and Bruce Wayne identities. The picture, which was primarily shot in the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Chicago, focused mainly on traditional stunts and miniature effects, with computer-generated imagery employed sparingly compared to other action blockbusters. Inspiration came from comic book narratives like The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween.
Expectations for Batman Begins varied from moderate to low, stemming from the dismal response of Batman & Robin, which was charged with putting the Batman film series on hold in 1997. The film premiered in Tokyo on May 31, 2005, and was released on June 15, 2005. Critics praised the picture, seeing it as an improvement over Schumacher's previous films. The film grossed over $371.9 million worldwide, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2005 and the second-highest-grossing Batman film at the time, trailing Tim Burton's Batman (1989). The picture, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, catapulted Bale to the rank of leading actor while also establishing Nolan as a prominent director.
Since its premiere, Batman Begins has been regarded as one of the most influential films of the 2000s. It was recognized with rejuvenating the Batman character in popular culture by altering the tone and style to one that was darker and more serious. The film popularized the phrase "reboot" in Hollywood, motivating studios and filmmakers to resurrect series with realistic and serious themes. It was followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which formed The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Cast[]
| Character | Actor | ||
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Bruce Wayne/Batman
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Christian Bale | |
| Gus Lewis (age 8) | |||
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Alfred
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Michael Caine | |
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Ducard
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Liam Neeson | |
 
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Rachel Dawes
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Katie Holmes | |
| Emma Lockhart (age 8) | |||
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Jim Gordon
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Gary Oldman | |
 
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Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow
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Cillian Murphy | |
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Carmine Falcone
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Tom Wilkinson | |
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Earle
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Rutger Hauer | |
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Ra’s al Ghul
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Ken Watanabe | |
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Flass
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Mark Boone Junior | |
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Thomas Wayne
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Linus Roache | |
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Lucius Fox
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Morgan Freeman | |
International versions[]
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| Language | Title | |
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Bulgarian | Батман в началото |
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Polish (HBO) |
Batman: Początek |
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Polish (TVN) |
Batman: Początek |
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Polish (Warner Bros. Poland) |
Batman: Początek |
| File:Batman Begins - logo (Russian).png | Russian | Бэтмен: Начало |
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Ukrainian (ICTV) |
Бетмен: Початок |
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Ukrainian (Tak Treba Production) |
Бетмен: Початок |
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Danish | Batman Begins |
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Dutch | Batman Begins |
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Estonian | Batman Alustab |
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Finnish | Batman Begins |
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Latvian | Betmens: Sākums |
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Lithuanian | Betmenas: Pradžia |
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Norwegian | Batman Begins |
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Portuguese (Portugal) | Batman - O Início |
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Swedish | Batman Begins |