Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: David Goyer & Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman
Certificate: 12a
Trailer: Various

Batman Begins is, in my view, the best movie adaptation of a comic in the spate of films in recent years.

As the apt title suggests, the film follows Bruce Wayne as he first trains himself in warrior ways, masters his fears and then puts them into use as Batman, the Dark Knight. In fact, he doesn't actually appear as Batman until well into the film, and the first act is a fairly slow affair, building up to the fast paced, high octane second act. This slow first act has put a lot of people off, but i found it a perfect fit. Waynes journey to becoming Batman is a slow, deliberate journey and that is reflected in the writing and directing.

When the second act does kick in, the action is on a level with all the other superhero films. The hand to hand combat is filmed in a close-up style, similar to, but not as hard to follow as the way The Bourne Supremacy was filmed. Perhaps the best action sequence in the film is a car chase, a brilliant sequence that had me grinning.

Bale is excellent as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. More than any of the other Batmen, Bale puts a real difference in his performance of Wayne and Batman. Wayne is a playboy fop, Batman is a force to be reckoned with. Right down to his voice, which is hard and angry, almost unrecognisable as Bale's voice.

The other performances are all good too. Holmes is good but not brilliant as Rachel Dawes, the love interest. Caine, Oldman and Freeman are impeccable as Alfred, Sgt/Lt Gordon and Lucius Fox. Oldman as Gordon was a given for me, a great casting, as was Freeman, but i did have my doubts about Caine as Alfred. Those were whisked away as Caine plays the role with a quiet, caring authority that cements the relationship between himself and Bruce.

In the rogues gallery it's equally good. Liam Neeson does his mentor thing with his usual quality, and Cillian Murphy is good as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. I would have liked to see more Scarecrow and less Crane, but there you go.

And finally, Nolan's Gotham is my favourite version of Gotham yet. He's crafted a city that is real, grounded and totally believable. Burton's Gotham City was a charicature, but that isn't so here.

This is by far the best Batman film so far, but in my book, the best superhero film going. Go see it.