I really liked Batman Begins. The only thing that will probably keep it from being a runaway blockbuster is that there have already been four previous Batman movies. The last one, Batman + Robin, really turned me off. Rubber nipples just ain't my bag.

I thought this movie did an excellent job of providing a backstory as to how Bruce Wayne morphed into Batman. This "prelog" did extend the movie by about 20-30 minutes, which is the prime reason why this movie is 140 minutes long. The next movie in this series (Batman Continues?) won't have to worry about this, though.

I was also amazed at the amount of dialog in this movie. I was pleasantly surprised, in fact. I feel like I need to see it again to make sure I got all of the dialog. I guess the days of turning your brain off during a comic book movie are over!

Another thing I liked about this movie: no villains die. In my opinion, as an on-again, off-again comic book geek, killing off villains is a cardinal sin. Wouldn't you like to see Dr. Octopus in a future Spiderman movie? I sure would. I know, I know, comic book heroes like Spiderman and Batman have dozens and dozens of villains, but not all of them would be that interesting on the big screen.

Negatives? Well, I didn't buy Katie Holmes as a gig city assistant district attorney for a second. Any of the women who've appeared on Law & Order have more toughness in their little pinky than Katie Holmes. Also, how many more times do we need to see Liam Neeson as the teacher, jedi master, etc.

So, even if you hold Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns in high regard, go see this new version. I admit, I do miss the Gothic heights Burton tried to elevate the character to in Batman Returns. (I'm probably the only one in that camp.) However, I more than appreciate the new serious and literate direction the series is going.

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