We saw Batman Begins last night! And now I'm reviewing it!

I've been waiting for this one since I heard about it a year or so ago. Actually, I've been waiting much longer than that-- since Joel Schumacher hijacked the franchise and drove it straight into the ground, I've been hoping someone would come along to resurrect it. The first two Batmans (Batmen?) were good-- a little over the top at times, but in a controlled and purposeful way. When it comes to Burton, you either love him or hate him. I love him--he tends to make movies that stand out from all the other crap out there, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He did a good job with Batman, and so did Keaton. Then Warner Brothers apparently decided that success wasn't for them, and did their best to piss off Batman fans around the world (myself included). But that's all in the past. Christopher Nolan has taken over, and WB seems to have stayed out of his way. (Nolan directed Memento--if you haven't seen it, do so immediately.)

The new Batman...well...makes sense. He's believable. He's a real person in a real world. He uses real gadgets and a real car (well...not real, but you know what I mean). We get the backstory, and we get to understand why he does what he does (though if you've read Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" graphic novel, you're already familiar with much of this). The story's as much about Bruce Wayne as it is about Batman, which is as it should be. Christian Bale plays a great Batman--he's moody and emotional, seems constantly on the verge of a breakdown, and you always wonder whether he's going to stay true to the 'good guy' code or give in to his instincts for revenge. And the rest of the cast is crazy-go-nuts as well. Michael Caine is the perfect replacement Alfred, possibly better than the last (though I did really like that guy...). And I always like Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. The girl (because yes, there's always a girl), played by Katie Holmes was really the only weakness. She's an ok actress and all, but she looks 16 and I didn't buy her as an Assistant D.A. I wouldn't say she brought the film down, but a little more thought could have gone into the casting for this part (they considered Natalie Portman, who most likely would have been a better choice). Oh, and the music was quite good. But really, how could it not be? When you combine the talents of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, you can't go wrong. It wasn't quite as exciting as Danny Elfman's original Batman score, but it really fit the movie-- a little darker, a little more serious.

In general, it's just much less 'cartoony' than other comic-book movies like Spiderman, etc. In fact, a lot of people are calling this the best comic-book movie ever. In my opinion it's second to Sin City (hm...another Frank Miller job...are we sensing a trend here?) but a very close second. That's just what I think, though. Go see it for yourself and let me know what you think--methinks you'll like it--and then we'll wait together for the sequel(s), already in the works.

Oh, and because some giving things overall scores is fun: 9.5/10