Action/Adventure/Mystery/Thriller — 141 min — Directed by Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy

As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra’s Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organised crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armoured suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong - he becomes, Batman.

Batman is back. Yes, after the appaling Batman & Robin, he has returned, and he’s better than ever. It’s not as ‘cartoony’ as the other movies done, though they have put a few reminders in there that it’s a comics-movie. But all in all, it’s a more mature and darker Batman than all the other, and that’s damn fine with me. About time even. Bale actually pulls it off. I thought he wouldn’t fit the boots, but he’s simply put the best Batman yet.

The action scenes could have been better, sure, but you gotta see it as a comic - and it’s not as exaggerated as in the ‘old’ Batman movies. There is a bit of reality thrown in, and the stupid one-liners are kept to a minimum, thank god! But it’s Liam Neeson that steals the show. He owns every scene he’s in, dominating Bale in every way. Not that Bale is bad, he just shrinks in comparision to Liam. Michael Caine is all right, and I’m not sure he’s a better Alfred, the old one was great, but at least he’s not a total disaster like Katie Holmes. How in Hell did she manage to win this role? The only answer is that she must give good head and love it! I’d be hard pressed to make a worse choice, talk about scraping the bottom of the barell. Luckily for us, she won’t be back for the inevitable sequel.

I think they hit the setting and moods of the film spot on. This is, simply put, the best Batman movie ever. Yes, it even beat Tim Burton’s. I can’t wait to see it again.

My Rating: 9/10