The Best Superhero Movie Ever Made

Okay, so I'll still say that the Matrix Trilogy is my favorite movie (and yes, I think of it all as one movie) of all time, and still possibly the best superhero movie without any superheroes. HOWEVER...

Yesterday, after spending the afternoon making my locally famous Christmas Peanut Clusters, I ended the night by popping "Batman Begins" into the DVD player. When I first saw it in the theatres, I remember being a little let down, although I still enjoyed it. I think I was hoping for a different visual look to the fight scenes. But since then, EVERY time I have watched this film I've enjoyed it more. Last night I picked out some details I'd never seen and was surprised that the emotional elements of the film were hitting me as hard as ever.

This film gives more weight and reality to the characters than any superhero flick I've ever seen. Parts of the first two X-men and Spider-man films are in the same ballpark, but there's just no comparison to the amount of screen time given to develop Bruce Wayne.

The special effects are of course, fantastic, but the greatest asset of this film is how it makes you empathize with Bruce Wayne's tragic past. Understanding and feeling some of his motivation increases the level of gratification during the action sequences of the film because we're emotionally invested in this character.

Hopefully they'll follow suit in the next Batman film and other Superhero flicks as well. These films are always at their best when the characters are taken seriously and the source material is respected.

Let the countdown to "Dark Knight" begin!