Let me say first that this is a very good dark, moody movie, the epitome of what a Batman movie should be, and the music and voices are fantastic in it, the animation has held up well too. And the story and way everything is handled is also done very well too.

So it sounds like the perfect animated Batman film and nearly is, it is just the completely unrealistic aspect of the Phantasm character that tarnishes it. Every Batman foe has some sort of realism to them, but here is an enemy that can quite literally turn into smoke and evaporate through the cracks in between slabs on a buildings roof.This doesn't actually make any sense whatsoever at the end of the film when you come to know everything (or rather some things) about the Phantasm character.

This aspect of the film very nearly pushed it down to a four star rating here for me but that is my only gripe and it isn't a huge one so I am going to let it slide.

The most faithful, most dramatic, most exciting Batman movie ever! The cast, the story, the music are all for lack of a better word, Perfect! No other treatment of Batman since this movie or series for that matter has gotten close. We need more Batman films like this. What I'd like to see is a movie or series based on the classic Batman graphic novels like Dark Knight Returns, or Long Halloween, or Dark Victory, or Year One. Bruce Timm, take note!

Not quite but it certainly is the best ever committed to film whether cartoon or live action. Kevin Conroy's voice is Batman. Mark Hamill is the best ever Joker.

This is a great story telling the beginning of Batman through flashbacks and also a more mature, complete Batman.

Strangely, I have found adults liking this Batman more than kids, probably not what you were expecting from a Batman cartoon but you can understand the appeal after watching it.

Batman Begins wishes it was this good!