I had basically forgotten there was a time Batman movies were great!

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2005)

This is the movie The Hulk wanted to be, and failed miserably - the story of the man that turned himself into a legend. While Hulk failed on every conceivable level, though, this "Batman" succeeds.
Although comparing Burton's Batman to this one is an exercise in tedium (both are great movies, although they satisfy different types of moviegoers), it may be enough to say that, while Keaton portrays Burton's Batman, Christian Bale is the comic book superhero. Keaton has an edge while showing off Bruce Wayne's strange and weird attitude, while Bale is absolutely amazing while depicting Batman as a man, driven by rage and hatred, who is willing to die to find inner peace.
The only weakness I could see was Gotham city. Burton's vision of a future / past Metropolis is unsurpassed - his dark, menacing city is oppressive and hopeless. The new city can't approach the old one's power.
Strangely enough, I found the actual "Batman" scenes not as satisfying as the whole Bruce Wayne transformation sequence. And the new Batmobile looks as if Batman has gone SUV-crazy - not a good thing (at least to me). Who cares - this is the Batman we thought we had lost ever since Keaton abandoned his mask.