This movie impressed the hell out of me. I followed the old chain of movies... I liked the first three and I think B&R was a crime against humanity, but this one is completely different and fresh. For the most part, it's completely believable... not comic-bookish or centered around playing up some celeb like Nicholson or Ah-nold.
The casting works well. The tech is believable... no Bat-nuclear power plants or any of that crap. Wayne's motivations in this one are far better than the split-personality tauted in the first Batman. Chistian Bale is superb in this role as he is in most roles, and Michael Caine brings a dimension to Alfred I found to be refreshing.
I should have seen this in the theater in widescreen glory.