As the ’90s progressed, the image of Batman on the big screen began to descend into the realm of campiness previously seen in Adam West’s take on the character back in the ’60s TV series and movie, which started to sour audiences on the character entirely. After a variety of reports emerged about a new take on the character in the early ’00s, fans were given Christopher Nolan‘s gritty and grounded origin story for the character in 2005, debuting Christian Bale as the Dark Knight. This new take on the character harkened back to some of the more grounded interpretations of the character, while adding just enough whimsy to remind audiences that this was still a comic book movie.
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Batman Begins went on to take in $371 million worldwide, a fraction of the figures that subsequent superhero movies would go on to earn, while sitting at 84% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. That film’s success might not have been groundbreaking, but it set the stage for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, with some audiences considering those films to be the best comic book films of all time, both of which earned major box office hauls and the former earning Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the Joker.
On its 15th anniversary, fans are looking back at the superhero story that started it all to praise its accomplishments.
Hard to Believe
Hard to believe that Batman Begins came out fifteen years ago today. Chris Nolan brought Batman back to his dark roots and began one of the best superhero film trilogies of all time. Batman Begins is my favorite superhero origin movie. Bar none. pic.twitter.com/m9UcFCeeJt
โ แดแด แดแด แดสแดแด sแดแดสแดสสษช (@AdamofGotham) June 15, 2020
Justice for Rachel Dawes
I can’t believe #BatmanBegins was released 15 years ago Oo
โ lady_le_fay ๐๐ฆโค (@Lady_Le_Fay) June 15, 2020
On this particular day, let me reiterate my appreciation for Katie Holmes and her portrayal of Rachel Dawes. The character definitely deserves more love. pic.twitter.com/Gtw6dDlJbD
Trilogy Masterpiece
Happy 15 Anniversary to my favorite comicbook movie of all time.. Batman Begins
โ Mazel ๐ข #HAILNOLAN (@geek_access) June 15, 2020
Which also started a masterpiece of a trilogy๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฟ pic.twitter.com/w5jwSci8Zl
Badass Alfred
Happy 15th Anniversary to #BatmanBegins. Christopher Nolan gave us a much grittier take on the Bruce Wayne story.
โ Time For A Film ๐ฅ (@TimeForAFilm) June 15, 2020
Michael Caine gave us the most badass Alfred we’d seen, until Sean Pertwee came along in Gotham(TV). Love the relationship between Bruce and Alfred in this one. pic.twitter.com/fOG6airA79
Bold and Stunning
#BATMANBEGINS โ โ โ โ Released 15 years ago today. A bold, incredibly stunning first entry to one of the greatest trilogies ever. Nolan and Bale deliver the perfect Batman.
โ 1st Row (@firstrowreviews) June 15, 2020
pic.twitter.com/f0emiNrokz
Never Forget
BATMAN BEGINS released 15 years ago today, kicking off the legendary Dark Knight Trilogy
โ Battman ๐ฆ (@BatmanFiles) June 15, 2020
I’ll never forget seeing this in theaters. What’s your favorite line, moment, or scene? ๐ฆ pic.twitter.com/7BAB9XRESb
Dark, Grimy, and Atmospheric
Today marks the 15th Year Anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS.
โ Jesabel (@JesabelRaay) June 15, 2020
A dark, grimy, & atmospheric exploration of the Batman character & the perfect balance of theatricality/psychological realism.
One of the greatest comic book origin films of all time. ๐ฆ pic.twitter.com/2RKTblvcr3
Fascinating
Happy 15th anniversary to BATMAN BEGINS. The first live-action Batman film to make Bruce Wayne just as fascinating as the Dark Knight.
โ Dan (@Danimalish) June 15, 2020
Christopher Nolan was the perfect choice to modernize and ground the Caped Crusader. My favorite Batman movie to date. pic.twitter.com/BQcVfyZpTs
The Journey Began
15 years ago today….
โ Geekly Goods (@GeeklyGoods) June 15, 2020
Christopher Nolanโs Batman journey began! #BatmanBegins pic.twitter.com/uWJuOTUPpV
Beautiful
This is beautiful, Batman Begins is a film I haven’t revisited enough.
โ Movies That Maher w The Viking (@MovieBuff100) June 15, 2020
15 Years ago today. pic.twitter.com/UP4f5jhjYB