It is interesting hearing some of the differing perspectives on this film. To me, the previous Burton/Schumacher interpretations smacked of mockery, like someone who never opened a DC comic reading the original scripts and deciding that the story of a masked crime-fighter was so fanciful and silly, it should be instilled with a camp and carnival atmosphere to ensure that nobody would doubt the tongue-in-cheek intention of the director. As a former pre-teen comic reader, I found these films watchable, but frustrating.
What I found appealing about Batman Begins is that it tried to fashion a somewhat "plausible" world in which a regular human being could become a highly trained and equipped vigilante, and would find himself opposing equally refined and equipped vilains. I imagine for people who grew up reading the comic series, a movie that tries to establish this premise and yet minimize the suspension of belief (like Batman Begins) is going to be better received........And, perhaps, for people with more interesting lives who did not need to read comic book drivel as a child, watching a movie that tries to adopt a believable stance in the Batman story must seem laughably portentous.......to each his own. I am very interested in seeing the next installment of this Batman series, although it will grimly be the final appearance of a very talented actor..........