After seeking revenge on the man who killed his parents, Bruce Wayne 'disappears', travelling around the world anonymously, ending up in a prison somewhere in the Far East. There he meets an eerie Liam Neeson, who trains him in the ways of the Force – ahem, trains him as a warrior, until he is ready to return to Gotham, face his demons, and fight the crime wave that overwhelms the city. This is the film that answers that age-old question: 'Why a bat?'

It doesn't look like a Batman movie, which some people may have a problem with. It's different from its predecessors in that it deals with the origins of Batman, which have only been hinted at previously in the 1989 Tim Burton film (to which this is not a prequel). There is a risk, or could have been, that revealing Batman/Bruce Wayne's past would make him less mysterious. On the other hand, being so tortured and introverted, he's been a hard character to get a handle on and sympathise with (and in the past the showboating bad guys have proved more interesting). Knowing his history may give audiences a better sense of the character – certainly, he's turned out pretty interesting in this film.

Christian Bale, having played Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, and been considered by some as a possible candidate for the role of James Bond, is good casting, and comes without the same baggage as his predecessors. He balances the various personas of Bruce Wayne very well, and conveys the obsessive determination that makes Batman seem like an unstoppable force. This determination also means that when he comes to harm it's more dramatic.

All round, the casting is just right. It's nice to see so many good actors in one place, and interesting to see so few Americans in a summer movie. Some familiar characters have become more complex; for example, Michael Caine as Alfred being actively involved in Batman's development, and Gary Oldman as not-yet-commissioner Gordon surrounded by corrupt cops. Katie Holmes does well as a female lead who's an active part of the story, but she's the only really significant female character in the film. Even Bruce Wayne's mother gets short shrift. While he's deeply affected by his father's death, she hardly gets a mention.

I had had my doubts about the Scarecrow, who could potentially be a campy villain, but as with Batman, his appearance in costume (if you can call it that) is withheld, and there's something about Cillian Murphy that makes it easy to imagine him becoming the Scarecrow. And of course, in a film where the predominant theme is fear, the Scarecrow is really the only villain for the job. There's a sense of potential in the villains as much as in the hero – in fact, we literally see comic-book villains here taking over from traditional gangsters.

Some people may find the wait to see Batman arduous, but the action beforehand – especially his training at the hands of Liam Neeson – moves along briskly, and every scene that's about Bruce Wayne becoming Batman is very much about Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. His eventual appearance, halfway through the film, is more like the appearance of the shark in Jaws, or the monster in a horror movie. This is a scarier Batman. As it should be. Plus we already know what he looks like. It's not a big surprise.

Batman Begins presents an edgy, dark version of the character – although it's still funnier than Batman & Robin. The story is well told, it looks great (although the all-terrain Batmobile looks more functional than cool), and for the first time in a Batman movie, we get to see bats. Lots of bats.

Tim Hanan

Rated 12A (see IFCO website for details)
Batman Begins is released on 16th June 2005.
Batman Begins – Official website