Nolan’s reboot of the moribund Bat-franchise showed that it was possible after all to marry dramatic heft and super​-​heroics, so he must take considerable responsibility for the current superhero boom.
Nolan’s reboot of the moribund Bat-franchise showed that it was possible after all to marry dramatic heft and super​-​heroics, so he must take considerable responsibility for the current superhero boom. Still, few origin stories are as witty and knowing as this, nor do they have as steady a centre as this Christian Bale/Michael Caine double-act. The theme of overcoming fear runs throughout, reoccurring steady as a metronome, and it captures the seedy side of Gotham that Bruce must tame better than either of its sequels. It’s seasoned with a little Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy, but this is the most Batman-centric Bat-film ever made, where for once the villains don’t steal the show.