Nonetheless, today's filmmakers have decided to start all over again: "Batman Begins" gives us the roots of the man who dons a bat suit to strike fear in criminals and hope in the citizens of Gotham.

We're introduced to Bruce Wayne as a boy, the scion of a benevolent billionaire. We learn why the lad has a pathological fear of bats, how that fear inadvertently triggers the murder of the boy's much-loved parents, and how that fear and that guilt combine to form Wayne's unsettled psychological underpinnings.

The story jumps to Wayne as a young man, his passion to fight crime, and his training in philosophy, martial arts and other skills from an acknowledged master, Henri Ducard (played by Liam Neeson, in what seems like an encore of his "Star Wars" Jedi role).

Such talents ultimately become tools of his nocturnal crime-fighting missions — without the use of super powers.

Director and co-writer Nolan, who cut his teeth on the moody independent thrillers, "Memento" and "Insomnia," steps up several levels in budget and production values for "Batman Begins." His only flaw seems a penchant for in-close, handheld camera shots and overly tight editing, which sometimes blurs action scenes so they're hard to follow.

But Nolan displays a sure talent for lean storytelling, shadowy imagery and powerful psychological shadings. Such attributes create a winning formula for a new millennium "Batman." As Bruce Wayne says in the film, "A guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues."

As in the earlier "Batman" films, several villains wreck havoc in tandem. Gangster Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), apocalyptic terrorist Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), and the deeply disturbed Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) all do their worst.

Too many villains have sometimes caused narrative gridlock in earlier films, but Nolan weaves together the various bad guys more integrally than was the case in "Batman Returns" (1992), "Batman Forever" (1995) and "Batman & Robin" (1997). Only Burton's original "Batman" (1989) is the equal of "Batman Begins" (though, of course, stylistically much different).

Bale is a potent Batman, from his bulked-up frame to his ability to suggest emotional complexity. The great Michael Caine is a perfect Alfred, the paternal butler; and Morgan Freeman, adds his typical resonance as Lucius Fox, who provides Batman with most of his costumes and tools. Only Katie Holmes fails to make a strong impression as the underwritten Rachel Dawes, a crime-fighting district attorney and Wayne's first girlfriend.

In a summer jammed with remakes, "Batman Begins" demonstrates that maybe once in a while, a renewed take can be a good idea.

Rated PG-13, with intense action violence.