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'Batman Begins' with promise, yields to predictability

Turning 180 degrees from the botched, campy Joel Schumacher movies about Gotham City's Cowled Crusader, director Christopher Nolan — previously known for such small, offbeat thrillers as Memento and Insomnia — offers a dark, dour version of the iconic comic book character in the promising, but ultimately disappointing, Batman Begins.

For the first hour — love it or hate it — Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer (of the Blade franchise) take their sweet time following wealthy Bruce Wayne on a spiritual odyssey, in search of his true calling after his parents are gunned down in front of him outside the Gotham Opera House.

Warner Brothers Pictures 'Batman Begins' B- The verdict: An intriguing new back story in the slower first half gives way to a routine action-adventure tale. Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy Run time: 140 minutes Release date: June 15, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements. See showtimes Babble Royale! Palm Beach Post critics Hap Erstein and "Flick Chick" square off over Batmania. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Batman Begins"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Gradually, he sees the need to fight evil in the financially strapped, Depression-damaged city, encouraged by his unflappable butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and armed with gadgets from a lowly tech expert within Wayne Enterprises (Morgan Freeman).

This philosophy-spouting back story, which involves Wayne's rescue from a Tibetan prison by an enigmatic Jedi-reminiscent mentor (Liam Neeson), is the most interesting part of Batman Begins, though it will probably bore those impatient for action.

The movie eventually gets there, but once Wayne (capable, but bland Christian Bale, who was far more interesting in The Machinist) dons the mask, cape and armored suit and gets behind the wheel of his tank-like Batmobile, the movie sags and settles for being a generic superhero adventure picture.

Nolan seemed headed towards making something truly original within the genre. But he only went halfway before giving in to the conventions that fans probably expect.

Early on, young Bruce is understandably frightened by a swirling swarm of bats when he falls down a well. Later, recalling his father's words about embracing what we fear the most, he takes the bat as his persona. Yeah, OK, why not?

What Batman Begins fails to supply is a truly towering villain to go up against our batty hero, perhaps in an effort to retain the quasi-realistic tone. There is a tough-talking Italian gangster (Tom Wilkinson), someone named The Scarecrow who goes around with a maggot-infested burlap bag on his head, a greedy executive trying to control Wayne Enterprises and a seemingly supportive character who really has nefarious motives. A lot of villains, but none is memorable.

While Batman deals with them all, you never get the sense that he breathes hard to do so. It is as if Batman Begins is all set-up and introduction, preparing us for the sequels to come.

Also introduced as a foil for Batman is Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, a childhood friend of Wayne's who grows up to be an assistant district attorney. She works hard against crime herself and disapproves of Wayne's playboy lifestyle. Naturally, she will become a damsel in distress and, naturally, Batman's slightly lowered, gravelly voice prevents her from figuring out his identity.

As with the Star Wars series, this prequel injects a few hints of characters that will figure more prominently in Batman's future. For instance, there is honest cop Sgt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), who we know will rise to head the Gotham police force, and there is a suggestion of the prank-prone Joker lurking in the darkness. Robin, Batman's trusty ward, is nowhere to be seen in Batman Begins, nor is he missed.

Even as Gotham gets dismantled, it is attractively imagined by production designer Nathan Crowley (Insomnia), who adapts a still-recognizable Chicago into an otherworldly retro-futuristic urbanscape. If he is also the guy who built the Batmobile, which steamrolls police cars and also hops across Gotham rooftops, he deserves further credit.

Chances are moviegoers will prefer one half of Batman Begins over the other. Only the most rabid fans are likely to be fully satisfied, but this is not the embarrassment of the recent installments. Nor is it up to the early Tim Burton-helmed Batmans.

In all probability, though, most people who see this picture will be intrigued enough to return for "Batman Continues," or whatever the studio calls the inevitable next one.