Batman Begins

With a few exceptions - such as Godfather 2 - it's a pretty solid rule that film sequels are inferior to the original that spawned them. And, once you get past a second sequel, you're in the increasingly ropey company of Police Academy, Rocky, Halloween and Friday the 13th.

This rule of thumb looked to apply particularly strongly to the Batman series which, having launched with two wellreceived instalments starring Michael Keaton and directed by Tim Burton, went into a nosedive when Joel Schumacher took over the controls for the Val Kilmer vehicle, Batman Forever.

When Batman And Robin, starring George Clooney, fared even worse, it looked as though Batman was never again going to be called on to protect Gotham City from ludicrously-monikered baddies.

However, a fifth Batman film has been made, preceded by plenty of passionate anticipation. Rumours were flying even before the fourth film was released, with speculative talk of a Batman/Superman double-header, as fans discussed films called The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Batman Beyond and Batman: Joker's Revenge - each with the names of the star actors and directors supposedly lined up to take part.

Now, at last, the waiting is over, as the film - actually entitled Batman Begins - is released this Thursday.

So - the final nail in the coffin for a superhero well past his sell-by date, or a triumphant return to form for the Caped Crusader?

Well, Holy Franchise-Rescuing Blockbuster, it looks as though it might just be the latter, thanks in no small part to an extremely impressive line-up on both sides of the camera.

Starring as Batman himself is Christian Bale, the Welsh actor who first appeared in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13 before going on to star in the likes of American Psycho and Velvet Goldmine.

Christian , who had recently finished playing an emaciated insomniac in The Machinist - a role for which he lost a whopping 63 pounds - had to quickly bulk up for this action hero part. Clearly, this is a man who takes commitment to his roles seriously.

Director Chris Nolan also has serious credentials. His CV boasts both the innovative and highly acclaimed Memento (the one that goes backwards, remember?) and the crime thriller Insomnia, starring Al Pacino.

For Batman Begins, Chris had a mammoth $135 million budget to play with - presumably enough to splash out on some heavy-duty costumes, gadgets and special effects. Yet the director has made it quite clear that this is not his main focus for the film.

"The world of Batman is that of grounded reality", he says. "It's a recognisable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises."

Screenwriter David Goyer, known in particular for Blade: Trinity, agrees. "What we worked on the hardest is trying to make it so that the audience will really care about Bruce Wayne, and not just Batman. It doesn't matter how much you spend on special effects - if it feels hollow, no-one gives a damn."

Rather than relying on superficial visual techniques, the pair have concentrated instead on bringing a fresh perspective to the story. Without a new reason to give movie-going audiences to watch a Batman film, Chris says, those people "may as well just go to the video store and rent Tim Burton's video."

Chris' contribution, he explains, has been to re-examine the origins of the Batman story. In other words, how exactly did this man come to find himself dressed as a bat and fighting crime in New York City?

The story, as told by Chris and David, has Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, raised by his guardian Henri Puccard (Liam Neeson) and butler Alfred (Michael Caine) after his parents are murdered.

He heads East, receiving training from rock-hard ninja Ra's Al-Ghul (Ken Watanabe), before returning to Gotham City to fight various villains including Dr Jonathon Crane, aka Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who - what else? - has a diabolic plan to take over the city.

But while the Batman versus sinister crazed adversary scenario may sound all too familiar, Christian explains that the film is a long way from the usual good versus evil struggle.

"I'm not somebody that comes from a comic book-loving background," he says. "But I read the graphic novel Batman: Year One, and I thought it was great, nothing like the Batman TV series or movies. It was so much more interesting.

"This is a different look at Batman," he continues, "and it leaves you with question marks. OK, so he's doing some good things, but he's the Dark Knight for a reason. He's dressed in black, he stays in the shadows, and he's fuelled by rage.

"It's not all pure, goodhearted motivation that causes him to do what he does. He has a great deal of anger and he has to stop himself enjoying kicking the c*** out of people too much."

Indeed, so much darker is this movie than its predecessor (which, as well as a shallow effort from Clooney, featured Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his less subtle performances) that some have questioned whether Batman Begins will be able to attain mainstream appeal.

But success seems likely in light of the unusually heavyweight cast, which, as well as those already mentioned, also features Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes.

Most important of all, however, is the presence of Chris Nolan at the helm.

Christian speaks of his faith in the man he describes as "a really interesting director".

"When Chris came on board, it meant that it wasn't going to be the same thing we'd seen before," he says.

"That's what I was excited about - creating something completely new."

Even old-timer Gary Oldman, who admits he never read the Batman comics as a kid, cites the reason for his involvement as: "Chris Nolan, really - the thought of what he might do with it.

"It's a great opportunity for someone like him to put the Batman franchise back on track."

Chris seems aware of the responsibility. "We need to live up to so many people's expectations," he says. "But all I can do is make the best film I can and hope everyone agrees with me."

On the evidence so far, however, approval shouldn't be too hard to come by.

There are already murmurings that this could just be the best Batman film yet - and, with talk of three-movie deals for various stars, it could be only the beginning of a string of new prequels and sequels. Star Wars look out...