bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Matt Glasby

This is the latest instalment in our From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries.
When director Christopher Nolan made his fourth feature, Batman Begins, he was known for intimate, noirish indies such as 2000’s Memento.
Its 2005 release, however, set him on the way to becoming the greatest blockbuster director of his generation.
It was not just a stepping stone for Nolan – Batman Begins, which turns 20 this month, also helped turn superhero films into the dominant genre of the 21st century.


Two decades on, this first instalment in a hugely popular trilogy remains a savvy, surprisingly substantial piece of work.
Based on a script by Nolan and David S Goyer (Blade), and inspired by some of the Caped Crusader’s bleaker adventures, Batman Begins tells us how orphaned billionaire Bruce Wayne, played with reptilian intensity by Christian Bale, became Batman.
At breakneck speed, we see Bruce’s philanthropist parents (Linus Roache and Sara Stewart) murdered in front of him as a child, followed by his training in the dark arts by the mysterious Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) of the infamous League of Shadows.
Then there is his reluctant return to Gotham City, a place riddled with crime and corruption, to fight spooky psychiatrist The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and his evil employers.

Bale excels at playing dangerously driven men, and he makes refreshingly little effort to make Batman/Bruce Wayne likeable, only understandable.
“He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for,” Nolan said about Bale in 2003.
The supporting cast is equally strong, with Gary Oldman as police officer Jim Gordon, Michael Caine as butler Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as boffin Lucius Fox.
Katie Holmes is given short shift as the assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, joining a long list of sidelined Nolan heroines.

Part of what makes the film so effective is that not only does it introduce Batman – creating a credible route from billionaire orphan to superhero – but it also gives him a plausible universe to protect.
“The world of Batman is that of grounded reality,” said Nolan. “A recognisable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises.”
As Wayne gradually becomes Batman, we see him travelling the world and learning his trade from the ground up. As a nod to the growing Chinese cinema audience, he even speaks a little Mandarin.
Inspired by the rain-drenched neo-futurism of Blade Runner, Gotham is shown in all its grubby glory. From The Narrows – steamy, seamy slums based on Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City – to the towering cityscape above (actually an augmented Chicago), it is a place of fascinating verticality.
Unlike a lot of filmmakers of the era, Nolan uses miniatures and traditional stunts over CGI, so it always feels, if not real, then at least possible.

What the film has in spades – and what makes it so pleasurable to watch, even as the story inevitably feels familiar – is confidence, with Nolan choosing dramatic heft over empty spectacle every time.
The screenplay explores knotty concepts such as the difference between vengeance and justice.
Indeed, it is as comfortable talking about “Jungian archetypes” – not a phrase you expect to hear in a blockbuster – as (mis)quoting philosopher Edmund Burke (“What chance does Gotham have when the good people do nothing?”) and the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt (“You have nothing to fear but fear itself!”)
Fear is the key here. To become Batman and achieve his true potential, Bruce Wayne must overcome his childhood phobia of bats. His father’s dying words are “don’t be afraid”. And The Scarecrow’s malevolent modus operandi is to terrify people into submission with a special fear toxin.

Perhaps this is Nolan’s greatest skill: refreshing a well-worn superhero story, in style, while infusing it with his authorial concerns.
Throughout his work, as here, we see fractured families, the tensions between public and private faces, and men who sacrifice their lives for their ideals.
Upon release, the film grossed US$373 million worldwide and received an Academy Award nomination for Wally Pfister’s wonderful cinematography.
Better was still to come in the form of 2007’s The Dark Knight, which is trailed cleverly in the film’s final scene.
If there is to be nitpicking, some of the action scenes are hard to follow. But who would rather see a blockbuster of brilliantly staged fights over one which respects the intelligence of its audience, all the while honouring – and elevating – the material?

The only real criticism is that Batman Begins’ success dragged Nolan away from making original films for far too long.
Yet maybe, like Bruce Wayne’s billions, it was this film that gave him the power to do what he really wanted: whether restaging Dunkirk, winning all the Oscars for Oppenheimer or, up next, his very own version of The Odyssey.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


How The Joy Luck Club paved the way for Asian representation long before Crazy Rich Asians

Meet Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter Oona Chaplin, who plays Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash

In memoriam: 29 beloved celebrities we lost in 2025, from Diane Keaton to Robert Redford

12 new Hollywood movies to watch in winter 2025, from Hamnet to Song Sung Blue

American cinema

How Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins rewrote the superhero movie rule book 20 years ago

Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins (2005). Photo: Warner Bros Ent

(From left) Christian Bale, Jack Gleeson and Katie Holmes in a still from Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Liam Neeson (left) and Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins (2005). Photo: Warner Bros Ent

(From left) Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and Ken Watanabe on the set of Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Christian Bale (left) and Morgan Freeman in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Christian Bale (left) and Michael Caine in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Gary Oldman (left) and Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

5 of the most popular streaming series in 2025, from Severance to Reacher and White Lotus

(From left) Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola in a still from Season 3 of The White Lotus, streaming on HBO Max. Photo: TNS

How 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back set Star Wars on the way to becoming phenom it is today

David Prowse as Darth Vader in a still from The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Photo: Lucasfilm

David Prowse and Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. The 1980 film set Star Wars on track to becoming an enduring cultural phenomenon. Photo: Lucasfilm


Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. Photo: courtesy of George Lucas Studios

A scene inside the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back. Photo: Lucasfilm

Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. Though ultimately a success, George Lucas said the second film in the original Star Wars trilogy “wasn’t the most fun” to make. Photo: courtesy of George Lucas Studios

Darth Vader in the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where he delivers his famous line. Photo: Lucasfilm

Why Sin City was such a landmark movie, a neo-noir hit that still resonates 20 years on

Jessica Alba (left) and Nick Stahl in a still from Sin City.

Bruce Willis in a still from Sin City. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller,  it was one of a clutch of movies shot completely on a “digital backlot”.

Clive Owen (left) and Rosario Dawson in a still from Sin City.

Brittany Murphy in a still from Sin City.

Michael Madsen (left) and Bruce Willis in a still from Sin City. Photo: AFP

8 of the best new K-dramas to watch in June 2025, including Squid Game season 3 on Netflix

Lee Byung-hun as Frontman in a still from Squid Game season 3. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in a still from Squid Game season 3. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

With its gritty realism and complex themes, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins helped turn superhero films into a dominant cinema genre


With its gritty realism and complex themes, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins helped turn superhero films into a dominant cinema genre.


How Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins rewrote the superhero movie rule book 20 years ago

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With its gritty realism and complex themes, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins helped turn superhero films into a dominant cinema genre

With its gritty realism and complex themes, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins helped turn superhero films into a dominant cinema genre