I have seen the Bat, and it is good.

I'll be honest: Bat-flicks of the past pain my heart. As much as I want to love them (and do to some extent, out of a forced effort more than enything), I've watched painfully as this series has tumbled downhill, snowballing into the crapfest known as Batman and Robin. What was started in the sufficiently dark, if not impersonal, first movie quickly became a circus show of over the top villains, painfully cheesy oneliners, and black light neon hell. Fortunately, Christopher Nolan not only lays this scarred past safely behind us, he completely shatters it. Annihilates it. Renders it non-existent. Batman Begins is just that - a new beginning. It is a fresh start to a series that desperately needed and deserved one, and it is good. This is Batman.

First of all, Nolan does an absolutely brilliant job shooting the Bat. There is never a full on shot of the Dark Knight. There is no choreographed fight scene faggotry. The fighting is done in tight, camera jerk style, focused on the victim at hand. I thought it perfectly captured the criminal's POV: confusing, and fear inspiring as all get out. And that's the way it should be. You SHOULD be a half a move behind Batman when you are watching him fight. You SHOULDN'T know where he is or where he is coming from next. He is a surgical strike from the shadow of the night, not a damn full frontal Matrix fighter. As Liam Neeson's character tells Bruce Wayne during his training, "this is not a dance." Right he is.

Speaking of Bruce Wayne's training, The entire first hour of the movie is devoted to the "Man" half of Batman. Rejoice. And again, I say rejoice. There was always something missing from the first four incarnations... and that something was Bruce Wayne the man. I liked Keaton as Batman and all, but his ice cold persona didn't ever make much sense without any backstory. Kilmer in Forever had a weak half-ass attempt at fleshing things out, and I won't even say anything about Clooney. But Christian Bale via this Nolan/Goyer script completely redefines the role. We understand Bruce Wayne. We understand his motivations, his fears, his desires. And knowing what makes Wayne tick is absolutely essential to making the Bat real. I won't say that it makes the movie more real, because that's a silly thing to say for a comic book flick. But I will say that it makes it GRIPPING, and that for my money is what it's all about. I was on the damn edge of my seat nearly the entire movie.

We cannot be fully immersed in Batman's world without environment, and again Nolan sets the new standard. Gotham is AMAZING. "Gotham must be saved" becomes a mantra that transcends the rhetorical trick of personification - for Gotham IS alive. It lives, breathes, has a pulse. You can feel the gritty rhythm of the big city in so many shots. Inner city sleeze, corrupt politics, crime and punishment, all against the backdrop of the concrete jungle, give this town true character. Add to this a barrage of impeccable character acting - Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul, Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman's Fox, and Gary Oldman doing the Gordon he was born to do - and you dive into a world in which you will inevitably drown. God bless these actors for serving character over ego. Nolan has each of them delivering tight as a tick performances that advance an incredibly well written storyline centered on Wayne and the Bat. Nothing more, nothing less. The restraint shown is utterly brilliant. Oh yeah, and the Batmobile is a boner-inducing goo fest.

One can only imagine what the other Batmans would've achieved had they been priveledged with Nolan's leadership. But as depressing as "what might have beens" are, I am left with nothing but hope and glee over the prospect of "more to come." Batman Begins didn't really have an ending, per se. By the end of the movie, Gotham STILL must be saved. There is no tidy cleanup and sigh of relief. Bruce and the characters around him are still evolving, even to the last scene, and it leaves us wanting more, more, more. Oh yeah, and there is a surprise sneak peak at the end that will make you splooge your pants whilst thinking about Crispin Glover. I shit you not. My wettest of dreams is that Warner will sign on Nolan and the complete production crew to do about 3 more of these in the next 12 years or so. It was compelling, beautiful, and nothing short of breath-taking. I'm telling you, if you do nothing else this summer, get your eight bucks and go see this movie.

Batman has begun, and there's no turning back now.

DOUBLE EDIT: I just realized that I forgot to include any criticism of the movie, and it does deserve some. First, Katie Holmes is pretty worthless. Also, the Scarecrow was borderline over-the-top asenine. And last but not least, the score was completely forgettable. At one point in the movie I remember wishing specifically for at least a hint of the Elfman score. Alas, it's mostly drab filler, which is somewhat depressing.

Second edit, I bought Batman: The Animated Series Season One right before I went to the movie on Wednesday. I've only watched three episodes so far, but hot damn - this was a badass cartoon. I watched it from the beginnning when it first came out, but I don't remember it being so rough and unrefined during the first season. Still, I love it, and definitely recommend it for anyone with time to kill. Rock and roll.