I've heard so many stories of fans who went into the movie blind and came out blown away, and I envy that experience a bit. I was 11 when B&R came out, and was just starting to explore the internet shortly thereafter. So keeping track of when the next Batman film was coming was one of the first things I got into, and I'd check BOF every so often over the years. With so many false starts, it really seemed like it may never come together. The idea rebooting a film franchise wasn't a thing.
But I remember the day Christopher Nolan was announced. At this point I was 17 and really in the prime of coming into my own as a movie geek. The first quote he gave the press mentioned the idea of wanting to do a realistic re-telling of the character. I remember not being sure what to make of that. It sounded kind of boring. But I was glad that finally, something was happening and that it we were likely going back to a darker and more serious tone. Soon after that, I rented Memento and Insomnia and checked them out. I was really impressed with both films, and then I started getting really curious what this "adult" filmmaker was going to do with a Batman movie.
Then, casting rumors started. I don't know how many people will remember this, but there was a brief moment where Ashton Kutcher was being heavily rumored. I can only imagine that was something the studio may have pushed for, or it was total BS. But it was a thing, and I remember getting nervous about it. Then of course, Bale was cast and everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief. At that point, he was just the obvious, no-brainer choice. I was already a huge fan of American Psycho, so I was over the moon about it. Once Bale was cast, then I knew it was on and I started really becoming a "true believer" that this wasn't going to suck and might actually be something great.
But even then...I still don't think I had my head fully around how much of a radical reinvention this was going to be. I think there was a part of me still clinging to the idea that they should still use Elfman's Batman theme, for example. I knew it wasn't a prequel, but I think I still was just stuck in the mindset of dark Batman= Burton/BTAS. Once I finally saw the film, everything clicked for me and I fully 'got' the vision in a way that I don't think the marketing was able to convey.
I fell in love with the movie and the rest is history, the trilogy was the focus of my film fandom for the next 7 years. But I did walk into it feeling very confident that it was going to be something good, even if I didn't quite have my head around it. I just sometimes wish I could've had the experience of walking into it cold, with no baggage and just getting blindsided by it. Personally I think that may play into why so many fans rate it as their favorite. There was an innocence of walking into it without really knowing what kind of Batman movie it was and just how good it would be. I also think the way the film ended, it's a great tease for a sequel-- but it does kind of give the audience license to go off and imagine all sorts of scenarios for Batman, Joker and the future stories of this Gotham. Which is like pure crack/cocaine for a Batman fan, especially when they did such a good job with the origin. The sequels, as great (and superior IMO) as they were, were never going to live up to all the hopes and dreams of the fans.
But Begins definitely has a warm, nostalgic sort of vibe for me. It's really the only Batman film that almost felt like it belonged to the fans first and foremost. Another reason I think it's become the darling of the fanbase. It's the only slow burn, 'moderate' success story of the Batman franchise. The only Batman film that doesn't use any iconic villains from the 60s show. And there's something really cool and special about that. The guy who turned out to be the biggest director of his generation came along and said, "We need a movie that is actually about Bruce Wayne through and through, without all the bells and whistles". And that movie was his first foray into directing blockbusters. Pretty f'n cool.
