Superb reboot for the Batman franchise

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2005)

If you're a serious Batfan, this one has all the elements. It's more "Silence of the Lambs" than it is "Spider-Man" -- a psychological drama that speaks to the mind of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
It's got the bits in it that longtime aficionados of The Bat will appreciate. The villains aren't the tried-and-true crowd favorites, but rather than less-used villains. That doesn't make them less dangerous, since the reason they're less-used in the comics is that they're MORE dangerous, and have to be sprinkled in like curry rather than slathered on like butter.
The story and villain support is spot-on accurate according to comic book canon, with one small exception that only real die-hards will notice: what were Thomas, Martha and Bruce doing the night of the mugging? That's been changed a tad in the movie, but definitely for good effect, as it helps the story and the psychology of young Master Bruce unfold nicely for the audience. Additional liberties were taken for the 'tween years, where Bruce learned to be the fighting machine he is, but quite frankly, the movie's version is *better* than the comic's; it brings more of the mythos together.
This movie touches on all the under-the-skin Batman issues, like Bruce's motivation, his psychology, and the ultimate question of "Which one is wearing the mask: Bruce, or Batman?" From an acting perspective, Christian Bale is the perfect Bruce. He doesn't have the baggage from enough popularity (sorry, Mr. Bale) with US audiences to give us preconceived notions of how he should act, as opposed to a Keaton or Kilmer. The rest of the cast is a home run as well, because how can you go wrong with the likes of Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, and Rutger Hauer? Katie Holmes adds a nice touch, showing that she's an actress to contend with in dramatic roles, and any movie that has the ultimate good fortune to include Morgan Freeman is worth seeing on that basis alone -- the man could make "Plan 9 From Outer Space" worth reviewing.
Here's looking forward to the next episode in this rebooted series. Batman Begins gives us the origin of The Fighter. Aside to Warner: in the next movie, give us the origin of The Detective.