When Tim Burton directed the first Batman film, it was a revelation, an antithesis to the straight-laced Superman films of the 80s, and an antidote to the camp TV series of old. This darker take on things revitalised the DC Batman comics, and set the tone for future iterations: Burton reprised his role in the equally satisfying Batman Returns. When the torch was handed to the more populist director, Joel Schumacher, it wasn't a disaster at first - Batman Forever featured Val Kilmer as the most athletic screen Batman yet, but Batman and Robin was just plain laughable, a confused hotchpotch of miscasting, ill-scripting, poor acting and absurd production. It destroyed the franchise, and it is only now - eight years later - that anyone dares to attempt another film featuring the Dark Knight. It's a brave thing to do, even more so when you consider the poor reception afforded last year's Halle Berry vehicle, the misguided Catwoman. Christopher Nolan is the director of this summer's prequel, Batman Begins, a respected British artist responsible for the excellent Memento and the English language re-make of Insomnia. The film, as you might expect, tells the story of Batman's genesis in the wake of the murder of Bruce Wayne's millionaire parents. Even better, the film is to star the excellent Christian Bale - also British - who appeared in Reign of Fire, American Psycho and The Machinist, the latter being another film about an insomniac. It's no surprise that Electronic Arts have the game rights, given their relationship with Warner Brothers, on whose behalf they produced the Harry Potter, Looney Tunes and Catwoman games. The game features stealth-based elements, as is so popular these days, but instead of sneaking around to avoid detection by your enemies, you must spring from the shadows and use surprise and mystery to terrify your prey. As you'd imagine, you have access to a panoply of high-tech gadgets in your utility belt, and there are a number of high speed levels in the all-new, big wheeled Batmobile. Playing as Batman and Bruce Wayne, you'll have command of martial arts moves informed by the film's fight co-ordinator, and the game is scripted by JT Petty, who worked on the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell games. The environments of Gotham City, Arkham Asylum and the Batcave are brought to life as never before. The film shows much promise, and the industry's biggest third-party megalith is doing its utmost to ensure that the game does it justice.
