Excellent prequel 'origin' of The Dark Knight that adds fresh blood to a weakened franchise thanks largely to the unlikely POW! BAM! combo of indie filmmaker Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale (with an intense, brooding yet vulnerable turn and a fine jaw for the infamous cowl to boot!) as billionaire heir Bruce Wayne hellbent for vengeance for the murder of his parents which leads him on a journey of redemption from the brutal Asian prison camp after taking a nowhere-to-go downward spiral attempt at crime where he encounters the mysterious Henri Ducard (a suitable Liam Neeson) and the ninja-training from guru of vigilantism Ra's Al Ghul (an imposing Ken Watanabe) laying the foundation to his inner turmoil exploited into an iconic hero to thwart the evil in Gotham.

Watching all the jigsaw puzzle pieces interlock from the beginnings of Wayne's brainy conceit of the Batsuit to the Humvian Batmobile are giddy joys for the inner fanboy of every squandered youth. A sound cast of international bravado (Michael Caine as Alfred, the butler, Wayne’s manservant/father figure, adds a dash of subtle observations and common sense; Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises’ best kept secret displaying the varying degrees of know-how and Bat-phenalia; Gary Oldman as a young (soon-to-be Commissioner) Jim Gordon - apparently the only honest cop on the force has a few nice subtle moments of awe and cunning; Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA The Scarecrow; Tom Wilkinson as ganglord Carmine Falcone affecting a New Yorkese dialect tuff guy demeanor; Rutger Hauer as a reptilian board chairman of Wayne's empire with oily ease); sterling production design by Nathan Crowley envisioning Gotham City as "New York on steroids", the dank cinematography by Wally Pfister, and reimagining of the stealthy costumed Caped Crusader by designer Lindy Hemming combine for a robust display of ingenuity.

The wraithlike incarnation of the man into batsuit avenger is a thing of Gothic beauty (echoing the Tim Burton and Frank Miller conceit) expertly designed by screenwriter David S. Goyer (the "Blade" trilogy to name just three successful comic book to screen adaptations) with Nolan flexes the mind, muscle and sardonic humor quintessential to a truly American original hero. This is arguably the best of the "Batman" films and highly entertaining. What more can you ask for when you see a flying Batman soar over the glassy plains of Gotham! See this on the IMAX and all I can say is: wow! Five words: a 90 foot Katie Holmes - how can you go wrong!!

Film Rating: êêêê  (out of 4)