From the streaming shadows, the instant classic that reinvented the blockbuster rulebook for better and worse emerges

From the streaming shadows, the instant classic that reinvented the blockbuster rulebook for better  ...

The Dark Knight may be the one who gets the majority of the intended intention, which is fair enough when it's one of the greatest comic book adaptations of all time, but you could make a well-supported argument claiming that Batman Begins was by far the most influential installment in Christopher Nolan's classic trilogy.

Nolan and Christian Bale's grounded approach to the established mythology ushered in a brand new wave of dark and gritty reboots, although it's worthwhile to note that the phenomenon resulted in equally as much trash as it did treasure.

Iron Man, Skyfall, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Terminator Salvation and Genisys, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and First Class, The Amazing Spider-Man, Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Death Note, Joker, RoboCop, and dozens more films have directly named Batman Begins as an influence.

As you can see, the results were quite mixed across the board, but every single semi-realistic reboot that takes place in a reality that's just so slightly elevated beyond our own owes a debt of appreciation to Batman Begins, even if only a few of them ended up being anywhere near as good.

With the Caped Crusader's origin story in the midst of emerging from the shadows on streaming, Batman Begins has spread its wings and soared on the Google Play Movies most-watched list, there's never a better time to re-read a stone-cold classic.