The best Batman?

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2005)

The supporting cast (with the exception of Katie Holmes), art direction, cinematography, "Scarecrow" special effects, and fight scenes MAKE this movie. Does Morgan Freeman ever turn down a role? Is he ever not perfect in it? Katie Holmes looks too young for the part but mainly she's just too "plain" looking IMHO. Give me Kirsten Dunst any day of the week. There is simply no sex appeal for men (straight men) in this movie. I think Christian Bale looks more like a Ralph Lauren model than a convincing Batman...But he still does a great job and eventually I was able to ignore his cover boy looks.
The script does a great job of presenting a believable back story of how and why Batman is who he is. No spider bites here, just a traumatized rich kid grinding metal bat "throwing stars" in his basement.
Most of the Press would have you believe this is by far the best Batman ever. I think some fans might disagree. However, this is truly a wonderfully crafted movie and will likely be "the" Batman movie for fanatics and casual moviegoers alike.