Batman Begins

I can't remember the last time I saw this film from beginning to end.  I always liked it and have fond memories of seeing it around the time it was released and I was in high school and all the hype with it being a more serious film take on Batman.  For the most part it still holds up for me with only very little things that seem more corny to see now versus how I saw them back then.  When it comes to seeing this through the lens of Chris Nolan's work, I feel this one has the structure that feels the closest to being like most of Nolan's other films in regards to the structure of how he uses time with the dual timelines shown for the first half of the film.  But in other aspects like with the moving towards the bigger spectacles to expect in Nolan's work, Batman Begins definitely serves as the transition for that and towards the more action packed films that he's made more over the years.  

One thing I have only liked more was his inclusion of Dr Crane, Scarecrow.  It was so interesting to see how he had a villain exist without having them be so bombastic, which granted that's what I feel like was a calling card for classic Batman films, the TV show and the cartoons.  Speaking of the cartoons, it's still cool to see the inclusion of Ra's al Ghul as played by Liam Neeson, as when growing up he was one of the villains that always had the most epic episodes and two part episodes.  Both casting picks for these villains are great.  Cillian Murphy is great as always and seeing him embody Dr. Crane is so haunting in the subtlety he gives in his performance.  He's not trying to steal the show but on this recent viewing, I really feel like he does in every scene he's in.  Another actor I have to mention is Tom Wilkinson especially because of how interesting to see his range going from watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a couple weeks ago to seeing him play Falcone in Batman Begins.  And of course I have to give credit for the ones who get the most credit, that being Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine as Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox and Alfred Pennyworth respectively.