"Holy exposition Batman! A prequel that works?!?!" Yep, I've seen Batman Begins. →[More:]

Firstly I'm just going to make this very clear: I am not going to be Metachat's Harry Knowles. No, I'm simply writing this up to redress the balance of my previous review although "review" seems too grand a word. So just to prove that I don't hate everything here's a film I absolutely loved. Oh, and no spoilers this time.

I have had the great misfortune of having seen all the Batman films - and with the exception of Adam West's version - I haven't much enjoyed them. When I heard that Christopher Nolan was directing this prequel then it was just too tempting. I absolutely loved his previous films (Memento and Insomnia) so he could make a wedding video and I'd go and see it.

And boy, he doesn't disappoint. This is proper, old school film making where a story is told, characters are developed and it all gradually builds to to a huge and explosive climax that feels satisfying as if you've invested your two hours wisely.

As you can imagine there's very little CGI, and what there is is wisely saved for the big ending. No, instead of blowing the budget on pimply boys with computers it's been spent on actors - and there are top notch actors everywhere you look in this movie: "Is that Gary Oldman hiding behind that moustache? And who's that guy? Holy crap, it's Rutger Hauer! I thought he was dead!"

And then there's Christian Bale. In previous films it may have been Batman's name in the title but it wasn't Batman's movie. That's well and truly corrected here and is all the better for it. While we already know how and why he became Batman, this story is about his physical and emotional journey and his inner demons. Bale plays Wayne as someone who isn't particularly likable and yet you just can't help feeling for the guy.

For those who loved Tim Burton's gothic vision of Gotham then you may be a little disappointed here - now it's simply New York by a different name. I think they call it "urban".

So there you have it: a story, good dialogue, great acting, and it doesn't look like a demo for a graphics card. In my opinion this is by far the best Batman film yet. Go see it, you'll like it.