The instant classic that rewrote the blockbuster rulebook for better and worse rises from the streaming shadows

It might be The Dark Knight that receives most of the intention, which is fair enough when it’s one of the greatest comic book adaptations of all-time, but you could make a well-founded argument stating that Batman Begins was by far the more influential installment in Christopher Nolan’s classic trilogy.

Coming a mere eight years after Batman & Robin had nearly killed the franchise for good, Nolan and Christian Bale’s grounded approach to the established mythology helped usher in a brand new wave of dark and gritty reboots, although it’s well worth mentioning that the phenomenon yielded just as much trash as it did treasure.

Among the movies to have directly named Batman Begins as an influence includes – but is in absolutely no way limited to – Iron Man, Skyfall, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Terminator Salvation and Genisys, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and First Class, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Amazing Spider-Man, Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Death Note, Dark Phoenix, Joker, RoboCop, and literally dozens more.

As you can see, the results were wildly inconsistent across the board, but every single semi-realistic reboot that takes place in a reality that’s only ever so slightly heightened beyond our own owes a debt of gratitude to Batman Begins, even if only a minuscule few of them ended up being anywhere near as good.

Greatness will always demand a rewatch, though, with the Caped Crusader’s origin story in the midst of emerging from the shadows on streaming. Per FlixPatrol, Batman Begins has spread its wings and soared on the Google Play Movies most-watched list, and there’s never a bad time to reacquaint yourself with a stone-cold classic.