By the early 2000s, the demand for comedic superhero movies had dwindled, ushering in more serious fare with higher stakes and emotional impact. Batman’s live-action movies of the ’90s had progressed to silly scenarios that, while entertaining, didn’t elicit a visceral response from viewers. Things drastically changed for Batman movies in 2005.

Memento director-writer Christopher Nolan and Blade script writer David S. Goyer created a story for Batman that would inspire a more emotional response to the character and his complicated life. They also redefined fantastical characters into a realistic setting. Instead of presenting Bruce Wayne as a handsome millionaire who can fight, he’s a man pushed to his physical and emotional limits by his unwavering determination to be Gotham’s protector. Outlandish villains from comic books were reimagined through practicality, motivated by greed and disenfranchisement.

Released 20 years ago on June 15, 2005, Batman Begins is a feature-length origin story that introduces Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/the Caped Crusader. He spends years training to become the hero of his city, learning from Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) – who is secretly Ra’s ah Ghul – and the League of Shadows.

Bruce returns home with the intention of cleaning up the city and is aided by his loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and tech genius Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). His childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) helps Bruce to see the bigger picture in Gotham, and he befriends Sergeant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), one of the few honest cops in the city. Together they work to stop villains like crime boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), psychologist Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), and keep Ra’s ah Ghul from destroying Gotham.

Batman Begins serves as the introduction of an exceptional hero in a realistic, contemporary setting that focused more on drama than on style. The storyline takes inspiration from comic arcs like Batman: Year One (Frank Miller’s story about Batman’s first year as a crimefighter) and The Long Halloween (Jeph Loeb’s story that sees Batman trying to stop a mob war while hunting for a killer). This movie is also different from previous films because it spent more time on Bruce/Batman’s growth and less time on the antics of flamboyant villains.

Bale is the most physically imposing actor to play Batman between his muscle mass and precision fighting skills. Not only did he get into great shape for the role, he read Batman comics to study the character and find the essence of the hero and his frame of mind. He was able to viably convey Bruce’s anger at the loss of his childhood and hatred for the city’s corruption. Bale portrayed Bruce’s dedication to becoming Batman, not just in the physical sense but in the emotional toll and isolation he faces.

Jim Gordon has a much more active onscreen role than other live-action versions. Oldman played him as a fervent protector of the law who is both honorable and realistic when it comes to taking on the city’s dominant criminal element. Rachel Dawes also has a larger part as she tries to save Gotham through the justice system, putting herself in dangerous situatiosn with the city’s criminal leadership. Holmes gave Rachel confidence and intelligence to make her much more than a love interest.

Falcone, Crane, and al Ghul are treated as more arrogant humans than eccentric comic book villains, motivated by greed, power, and their own hubris. Believing themselves to be above others, Falcone and Crane use money and influence to get what they want, and Ra’s believes that sacrificing an entire city is a realistic response to quelling the criminal element.

In addition to more practical approaches to character, Nolan wanted to put Batman into a real world setting with less hyper-stylized architecture and costumes. Nolan used exterior shots of Chicago, New York, and London to make the city appear recognizable. He collaborated with production designer Nathan Crowley to design Gotham, giving it a modern metropolitan look that reflected different popular periods in architecture. Gotham is a layered city with elevated freeways and railways, overshadowing lower level slums and destitution. The themes of power, money, and corruption are instrumental in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, which is first displayed in how the city is shown with elegant buildings and dirty streets.

Nolan based special effects on practical applications and stunts, though CGI was used to blend more complicated scenes. The suit is tactical and functional with more agility and a cape that could be used to soar from the rooftops. The Batmobile is radically different, taking the guise of the Tumbler, a mammoth vehicle with an impenetrable appearance and surprising agility.

Batman Begins received largely positive critical reviews and audience reception, many of which commended how the movie captured the more serious Batman ethos, how it delivered a story with gravity, and that it redeemed Batman on film. It was also praised for the action sequences, score, Bale’s impassioned performance, and Nolan’s precise direction. The movie scored $205 million at the domestic box office, becoming the second highest selling Batman movie of the time.