Vastly overrated as of this date

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2008)

Unlike many others, I'm not going to rate this a one star to counterbalance the lunacy shown by many IMDb'ers in giving this mediocre outing a 10. I will instead rate it fairly by my estimates.
Pretty much all the adverse criticism you'll find by reading the one or two star reviews are accurate. The issue isn't if this movie fails continuity time and time again, but if it matters. After all, isn't this a cartoon? Yet it isn't. I'm not a fan or cartoons or the previous Batman offerings. I consider the 'dark Gothic look' of Gotham City which some so love to be puerile. At the start of this, I enjoyed that instead of fakey doo dark city infested with grotesque characters, we were in Chicago - a reasonably lighted place with humans as the dominant residents.
However, if you are going to change the ground rules so you are in normal human space, then you need to adhere by these rules. Having some guy in silly makeup able to appear anywhere even in the company of his continually refreshed gang is jarring to say the least. Where did he get his superhuman cameo powers from? If you wish to posit at the start that the villain isn't human,or has supernatural powers or is an alien like Predator, then OK, but don't make him a human driven by human needs, cut off any back story and then give him powers which could easily defeat both Alien and Pedator.
Also for gosh sakes, do a little homework. At one point a fellow removes a pistol from a criminal in court. Like criminals can just waltz into court with handguns so he can then later attempt to shoot the prosecutor. Worse, when the fellow is disarmed the guy doing the disarm move claims it to be a .28 caliber....Good grief. Was that supposed to be a joke or is Hollywood that lazy not to even note that there is no such thing in a modern Glock like pistol.
In the end, this is a movie with no bright spots. It's despair all the way. There is no hope for goodness. Instead, we're given the choice between anarchy or oppression. Worse, the oppressive ones are the government who lack the will to deal with the anarchists.