First, let me start off by saying that visually, the movie was brilliant. It was a great effort to catch Batman's back-story and bring people up to speed on the events that occurred before the Tim Burton's original Batman.

Allow me to explain why I think Batman Begins is a disgrace to the franchise. Many things were done in this film that screw up the continuity of the other films. No matter how you look at it, this film was a prequel... plain and simple. The four things that I noticed as being significant enough to screw up the franchise are as followed: (1) In Batman Begins, Gordon befriends Batman around the middle of the movie and helps him save the day toward the end. In the original Batman (which is supposed to take place a number of years later), Gordon doesn't know who Batman is. In fact, he thinks he's a criminal and is associated with the Joker. Now, how does that make sense?? You can't know Batman in a prequel and completely forget who the hell he is in one following.

(2) In Batman Begins, Gordon presents Batman with the Batsign. WHO CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA??? Again, in the original Batman, which takes place a number of years later, BATMAN gives GORDON the Batsign and only after he kills Joker. How does it make sense for Gordon to give Batman the Batsign saying this is how we can contact you... and then down the road, Batman give Gordon the same sign saying the same thing? (3) In Batman Begins, it shows ONE thug attacking Bruce Wayne's parents outside of an OPERA. Later in the movie, that thug is shot at the courthouse. Correct me if I'm wrong but JOKER is the one who killed Bruce Wayne's parents WITH ANOTHER ACCOMPLICE and outside of a MOVIE THEATRE. Now, again... how does that make sense?? (4) And finally, the one thing that aggravated me the most. At the end of Batman Begins, Gordon hands Batman a Joker card saying that Batman wasn't the only one hiding behind a painted face... at this point, Jack Napier was not the Joker.

As much as the effort was there to create a brilliant film going back in time showing the beginning of Batman, this movie had its moments... but screwed up by these four continuity problems... because Tim Burton's Batman would make no sense if viewing Batman Begins and then Batman.