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`Batman Begins` Now on DVD

Joel Schumacher, after eight years of filming a Batman movie, has brought the famous Bruce Wayne back to the silver screen. `Batman Begins`, a prequel created by writer-director Christopher Nolan (`Memento`) and his co-writer, David S. Goyer (`Dark City`), shows a different take from the past Batman films. With a star-studded cast, this movie about justice and the cloaked hero is sure to please Batman fans.

In place of nippled batsuits, it offers a relatively realistic take on the story, starting with a traumatic episode from Bruce Wayne`s childhood. After seeing his parents gunned down in an alley, Bruce wants to execute the beggar who did it. But he eventually decides that he wants justice, not revenge, and broadens his approach to law enforcement by defending the defenseless of Gotham.

Some of the less well-known actors also stand out. Cillian Murphy, the star of `28 Days Later`, is smoothly diabolical as the poison-obsessed villain, Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka `The Scarecrow`. Katie Holmes (best-known as Tom Cruise`s off-screen girlfriend) plays Rachel (Batman`s Lois Lane) portraying a beguiling mixture of skepticism and faith in her man to do the right thing.

Christian Bale, having out-skinnied every weight-losing actor last year with his skeletal approach to `The Machinist`, pumped himself back up to play the young Bruce Wayne ? before he acquired his Batsuit. The 31-year-old Welsh actor, whose cult following is based largely on his ability to make a strong impression in costly flops (`Newsies`, `Empire of the Sun`), does a fine job in a difficult role.