Classics: Batman Begins (2005, R: 9.5/10)

Out of every superhero film franchise in the last decade, none has fared so well as Batman: in 2008, the second origins tale The Dark Knight ranked as the second-highest grossing movie of all time at the box office, garnering universal applause from critics and fans and over $500million in the months it was shown at cinemas. But enough about that, as we're forgetting the superb, original flick that turned the Caped Crusder from camp do-gooder to shadowy predator in just two hours- Batman Begins. As the title suggests, the 2005 hit took Bruce Wayne back to his origins, opening with his release from prison and induction into the society of Ra's al Ghul, then returning him to his hometown of Gotham to face off against the Scarecrow and Ra's himself in a gripping, at times harrowing plot that shook the foundations of the comic book to its very core. Christian Bale does a great job at giving us a Wayne with layers, haunted by the bats from his nightmares as a child but turning that fear into a weapon (a central mantra of Begins that showed director Christopher Nolan's intention of a darker tone), however for once many of the other cast members threatened to steal the limelight, too: from Liam Neeson's enigmatic Henri Ducard to Katie Holmes' intelligent love interest Rachel Dawes, the mythology of the Dark Knight was thick and clear, forcing Begins out of the loathed depths dug in Batman & Robin and into the battle for best action film of the year. And of course, how could any of us forget Michael Caine as Alfred, charismatic as ever and perfectly suited to the role of a butler hiding Bruce's secret, dishing out neat quips frequently on the protagonist's journey to become a man in black tights (best not to think too hard about Bruce's sanity). If there was one comic-book film franchise (other than Superman, but his return to the big screen in the 2000s didn't fare so well) in need of a reboot it was Batman, and Begins was the perfect introduction to Nolan and Bale's gritty, captivating underworld of Gotham and the creature of the night who will always be there to save it from itself. Admittedly, Batman Begins lacks some of the emotional depth that The Dark Knight possesses, and the opening scenes in the mountains feel a bit off-key for a comic adaptation, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best films of the last decade by any stretch of the imagination.