Batman is an intense, cerebral character, and that is just this type of movie. It's true that the movie doesn't really necessitate more than one viewing; and many of the details become very hard-grounded so that the audience doesn't miss them. It's a little slow for what it is and I don't blame Nolan for choosing the path that he did. Nolan did a great job of making a confusing movie watchable and enticing without alienating audiences with "Memento", and he does an excellent job here as well.

The "two villain" motif doesn't work like it did in the other Batman movies and most people will probably be surprised at just how little we see of them and Batman in the suit in general. This movie is really about the driving forces behind Bruce Wayne's life. Even the big-budget effects scenes are really toned down and are less about eye-candy than they are about moving the story along to the next dialogue sequence.

The acting doesn't need any comment. Everyone here is at their best; Bale and his endless charisma that makes Brad Pitt look like a flat lifeless statue; Freeman and his "fatherly but not condescending" role that he is apparantly destined to play for eternity; Holmes and her quiet naivete while at the same time channeling a very real strength of character; Neeson again plays a mysterious master of the arts - for a second I thought I was watching Qui-Gon Jinn.

I finished the movie VERY satisfied. If this is the beginning of the Batman franchise I think that audiences have a lot to look forward too. I like it much better than the Spider-man movies (which I thought were a little to hammy for their own good). Other mainstream comic movies were really lacking IMO (X-men 1/2, Hulk, DD, Elektra, blah blah).

villlans dont die or get caught