Batman Begins (2005)

Most people think so. 82% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 78%.

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman. Wikipedia ↗

Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan that rebooted the Batman franchise after Joel Schumacher's critically derided Batman & Robin had seemingly killed the series in 1997. The film follows Bruce Wayne from the traumatic murder of his parents through his years of self-imposed exile, training with the League of Shadows under the tutelage of Henri Ducard, played by Liam Neeson, and his return to Gotham City to combat corruption and crime as Batman. Christian Bale brought a physicality and psychological depth to the dual role of Wayne and Batman that had not been seen in previous film iterations.

Christopher Nolan's approach was revolutionary for the superhero genre: he grounded the fantastical elements in gritty realism, treating Gotham as a plausible city with real-world social problems and Batman's gadgets as cutting-edge but theoretically achievable military technology. The film assembled a remarkable supporting cast including Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's collaborative score established a muscular, percussive sonic identity for the franchise.

Batman Begins earned $373 million worldwide — modest by today's superhero standards but sufficient to revitalize the franchise and pave the way for The Dark Knight, which would become one of the most acclaimed and commercially successful films of all time. Nolan's approach fundamentally changed how Hollywood treated comic book properties, proving that taking the source material seriously could result in both critical respect and commercial success.