There have been a number of attempts to bring the Dark Knight to the big screen. They have varied from the brooding to the campy, with varying degrees of success. With "Memento" director Christopher Nolan at the helm, it appears someone's finally cracked the code that has eluded so many others.

Critics say "Batman Begins" is brooding and dark, yes, but also exciting and smart, a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes. At 85 percent on the Tomatometer, this is the best reviewed live action Batman film of them all trumping even Tim Burton's ballyhooed 1989 effort. Burton's Batman films "Batman" and "Batman Returns" were heavily influenced by film noir darkness and "Metropolis" set design; Joel Schumacher's follow-ups, "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin," were lighter and more action-heavy. But critics say this is the movie that does the best job of focusing on the Bruce Wayne/Batman dichotomy, and Christian Bale gets terrific support from a stellar cast that includes Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, and Katie Holmes.

Batman Films and Their Tomatometer:
11% - Batman & Robin
50% - Batman Forever
79% - Batman Returns
79% - Batman