Of course, are spoilers.
The good, the good, and more good, because I didn't find one bad thing about this movie, not that I was ever looking. And why would I? Everything leading up to the moment that Batman finally appears is perfect.
For the first time on the big screen, we finally see exactly what drives a man to become a the legend that is Batman. And it was done in an emotionally moving fashion. I'll admit that early in the movie, when Bruce meets Ducard, the story telling was a little fast, but to slow it down would have meant cutting into a powerful retelling of the Wayne murders. Nolan and Goyer packed so much into Bruce's past. And when Thomas Wayne pulled him out of the cave, and later showed him the pearl necklace, we finally got to see the man Bruce's father really was. His explanation of the trains, and his concern over his son showed exactly why Bruce cannot take a life. Sure, he was going to. He was thinking about it. He almost did it. But when he met Falcone, and chose to disappear and experience the world of the criminal, it brought out the compassion for life that he inherited from his father.
But Nolan and Goyer weren't finished. Because after they set up the man, they showed the true Dark Knight in action. And they really packed that in, too. The first time Batman fights, and every time after that, it was like watching a Batman comic in action. He didn't fight head on, he came out of the shadows. He used the shadows. He put fear in the criminals. And when he interrogated Flass, pulling him up, sending him down, pulling him up...Flass swore to God, and Batman said "Swear to me!" and sent him back down, that was perfect. That was Batman.
But that wasn't all. Bruce had to learn to wear not one mask, but two. The second was the billionare playboy who brought two European babes to a hotel restaurant, who then stripped and dipped into the fish tank. So Bruce bought the hotel. And yet, when he saw Rachel, he was ashamed of his actions. But he knew what he needed to do. This mask worked so well, that he later made page eight: "Drunken Billionare Burns House Down" (did I quote that right?), while the larger events of the movie made page one.
And the larger events? I don't quite understand why Ra's had it out for Gotham, but his means of distruction were right up his alley. Scarecrow was great, and the Zsasz cameo was brilliant. I didn't catch any other inmates, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few more.
Some things that really stood out? When Batman first encountered the Scarecrow, and barely escaped with his life. And then, to have to call Alfred to pick him up, that almost broke him. But Bruce made a valuble ally in Lucius Fox. And the way he turned over control of Wayne Enterprises to him? Priceless. I like how Lucius is in the secret. It's just not possible for Bruce to hid it from him, so Nolan and Goyer took the rode less traveled, and made him a part of the team. Also, Katie Holmes was excellent in her role as Rachel Dawes. But where will this lead? My cousin thinks she is this Batman's Harvey Dent, and that she will become Two-Face. I think he's right. Nolan and Goyer are all about the psychological and emotional facets of Batman, and if they are turning her into Two-Face, that little twitch she does will fit the role perfectly.
Other things, like the car, which really fit this story, and Gordon, who stood out and was truly James Gordon, were icing on the cake.
But what about Ra's Al Ghul? Talk about a plot twist. I thought that's what they were going to do, and it was brilliant. Is he really dead? I doubt it. There was no body, and he is the Demon's Head. The best villains always return after the first encounter.
Some people may disagree with Batman saying: "I can't kill you, but I don't have to save you," but I think people forget that this is Batman, not Superman. His compassion keeps him from crossing the line, and it gives him the strength to stay focussed. But he's not stupid. This gets into the original Batman, the one who didn't cry when a villain fell to his death by his own hand.
So now there are quite a few possibilities set up for the next movie, and a few after that. The Joker is in town. Scarecrow, Zsasz, and other nut-jobs are loose. There is the possibilty that Dawes will become Two-Face. And I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Ra's. Based on how this movie was done, I'm sure we'll see more than one villain in future movies as well, because Batman never gets to have it easy. I'll admit I was a little concerned at how using so many villains in one movie would work, but it did. And it showed the different aspects of Gotham's criminal world: the sane, and the insane.
I may be biased, but I think that this is the best comic book movie yet, and the next one should be even better.
