Batman Begins

Having literally just written about Tim Burton's Batman and filled with a sense that The Dark Knight has truly over shadowed all other theatrical versions of Batman. Nolan's first foray into the Batman franchise however deserves to be given it's due credit for resurrecting the franchise from the utter failure that was Batman and Robin.
A few things forth discussing on this film are the way Nolan created a more real to life telling of the Batman story and how Nolan has amped up his demands on Batman himself.
The first aspect revolves around how Nolan has managed to make Batman films that more closely resemble a gangster drama than a comic book film. Nolan uses Chicago as part of his back drop and it gives the film a real gritty feel compared with the direction that Joel Schumacher's films had taken. Actually, a film in which you dressed a dog up as Batman might have a grittier feel to it than Schumacher's Batman. But Nolan takes a long and hard look at what it would take to create Batman. We see what happens to Bruce Wayans parents, we also get a sense of the work the Wayan family did. We also get to understand the significance of Bats on Bruce Wayan and we see Bruce seek out an understanding to the criminal mind. It is this pursuit that leads Bruce to his training with the League of Shadows, a training that would prepare Bruce for taking on the role of Batman.
Back in Gotham, Bruce takes on the criminal world that is destroying Gotham City. One of the elements to the story that Nolan highlights is the corruption that is running rampant in the city. This corruption causes there to be as much fear and anger directed in Batman's direction by the establishment as there is by the mobsters. It's a fascinating story that Nolan is telling and he is not limiting himself to the typical comic book formula throughout. Instead, Nolan is confidently telling a story that does not focus on a super hero versus super villain but on a hero taking on villains in all forms.
The other aspect that Nolan masterfully changes is the physical demands he puts his Batman through. Michael Keaton took his punches in the Burton films, but in Batman and Robin and honestly believe that we did not see George Clooney engaged in any physical way. Christian Bale's Batman gets dropped in icy water, climbs mountains, gets involved in sword fights, is set on fire and flies throw the skies just to scratch the surface. Nolan wants there to be a sense of danger involved in being Batman beyond what previous Batman films had done. Bale himself is always being described as an actor who is willing to take on any physical challenge necessary for a role and his performance as Batman is no different. You don't realize how little the previous actors who played Batman were required to do physically until you see what Bale goes through. It's remarkable.
Other aspects I love about Nolans take on Batman include the depth he has given to the character of Alfred, the look inside Wayan Enterprises and the treatment of Lt. (soon to be commissioner) Gordon. The film deals with villains in a unique way for a comic book film in the sense that we see several characters as potential arch villains but it's not until 3/4 of the way through that the film reveals it's true arch villain. Of course, when that villain is revealed he immediately makes a powerful impact and takes the film to another level.
All the Batman films are mine of course and while my wife enjoys the Nolan films I think there are times that she gets sick of me wanting to watch them repeatedly. I don't have a personal story related to this film, but my wife has a great one. I remember telling me that she was going to see it because she was chaperoning a date her younger brother was going on. The film was released in June 2005 and my brother law will be marrying the girl he went to see Batman Begins with. While I would like to think all of our lives are improved by seeing Nolan's first Batman film, they truly can say that their lives have only gotten better since they saw Batman Begins.