Batman Begins: The story we've been waiting for

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Sheldon Turner discussed the popularity of film prequels: "...we’re all sort of amateur psychologists nowadays. Everybody has that sense of, how did this person become that person? It’s the knowing wink-wink of, this is Leatherface as I know him, this is Anakin Skywalker as I know him, and this is how he became that thing." While Turner cited "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the "Star Wars " series as his examples, he also could've pointed to Warner Brothers' latest summer blockbuster, "Batman Begins," which reveals the dark origins of the Caped Crusader.

For a franchise that fell flat with each successive release after the original " Batman" premiered in 1989, " Batman Begins" needed to be a hit. And it is. Darker and grittier than any of its predecessors, " Begins" is finally the follow-up that the classic original deserved. Sure, " Batman Returns" had its moments (most of them involving Michelle Pfeiffer in a leather cat suit -- meow, indeed), but Jim Carrey as The Riddler couldn't save "Batman Forever " while "Batman and Robin" is staggeringly bad. Fortunately, "Begins" director Christopher Nolan rescued us from another Joel Schumacher disaster and, with Christian Bale already signed on for two more films, the Batman franchise appears poised to fly higher, and farther, than ever before. If that's not evidence enough, just look to the latest " Batman Begins" video game for even more exposure to Warners re-boot of the franchise.

Batman Begins

Batman

Batman Returns

Batman Forever

Batman and Robin