The best Batman movie yet

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2005)

The film is story/character-centered and not action-centered, which means that there are no unnecessary action sequences 'just because it's pretty' as tends to be more and more common in recent films, so thumbs up for that. The story itself is interesting and meaningful, and the serious environment in which it's told (there are no comic elements in the film) adds to its credibility.
I think the director overdid the 'confusion' effect in most of the non-batman action scenes (things move way too fast and the camera is too close and always moving). He did it trying to gain realism, but it results in a big blur and you can't really follow the action. The action scenes with batman are mostly set in dark surroundings so there the 'confusion' effect is not so intense and fits the purpose. I found the soundtrack a bit too gloomy and lacking intensity and power. In this area, I preferred Danny Elfman's original Batman themes.
Despite these minor issues, this is a great film both in concept and in execution.