I find it odd that I have such a strong attachment to the Batman franchise, as I never read the comic books as a child or as an adult. I am normally one to pooh-pooh emotional attachments to works of cinema, I find most modern cinema to be stale copies of concepts and emotions better performed in the distant past, at best, or horrid attempts at drama or adventure, at worst. I've been simultaneously impressed and frustrated with the recent spat of comic book cinematic adaptations: I liked Spiderman and X-men, haven't seen either sequel, indifferent to the Hulk, and I don't much care for the Fantastic 4.
Batman, however, is different for me. I was only 6 years old when Batman was released, and it was with awe and some amount of wonder that I watched the comic book drama unfold on-screen. Michael Keaton brought a solemnity and a resolve to the Dark Knight, he commanded a certain level of respect matched only by the evil, late 80s irreverence of Jack Nicholson. We saw Gotham City as a contrast of grays, dark and grimy, infested with criminals and corruption. We see Bruce Wayne as a charming playboy and a complex man. This Batman was gritty, wrestling with his demons and his past without being overly cheesy or dramatic.
Batman Returns was a further descent into the strange, twisted world of Gotham, but a brighter world. We see snow here, more melodrama. Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer make decent villains, and Ms. Pfeiffer does look excellent in leather. Halle Berry can't compete on that front. I don't really have the energy to elaborate much on this, but it was a good movie. Not on part with the original, but it held its own.
The last two in the quadrilogy, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, contributed to what many considered the end of the movie franchise. The spirit of the Dark Knight as a conflicted superhero, a symbol of vigilantism and brute justice in a corrupt world, was cast aside in favor of the bright colors and moldy cheese of Harvey Two-Face and Ahhhnold. Gotham becomes less of a bustling metropolis and more of a cartoonish alternate universe. These movies severed any connection that we could have had with Gotham and its citizens.
Batman Begins brought back to life the spirit of the original. I'm a fan of Christian Bale, have been since the beginning; he's intense, honest, and tough, when need be. He's not versatile in the way of Jack Nicholson or Anthony Hopkins, but he fits the role of Batman. We see a fascinating glimpse into the genesis of Batman, the horror and fear that define our Dark Knight, the anger that drives him. We see him address the conflict between vigilantism and violence, between salvation and destruction.
Batman Begins is gritty, painful, intense. I loved it. It made me happy to see so many themes displayed skillfully and in an entertaining manner. I was impressed.