Supernatural prescience might not be one of the Dark Knight's powers, but when Michael Keaton walked away from Batman, it was as if he could see the future. Along with Tim Burton, who directed the first two live-action Batman movies (not including 1966's Adam West-led "Batman"), Keaton had reinvented the character in the public's collective consciousness. No longer was he the Caped Crusader, but a brooding lone avenger of the night. Then, after 1992's "Batman Returns" scared the bejeezus out of kids around the world, Warner Bros. decided they better rein in Burton before he created another nightmare fairytale that made it impossible for McDonald's to sell Happy Meals.

But Warners went one step further, dismissing Burton outright and bringing in new director Joel Schumacher, who actually made a fairly dark installment in the franchise with 1995's "Batman Forever." Unfortunately, due to yet more studio meddling, the film's...