This is awesome. I think Ebert (yes I still read his reviews, I've learned to decypher them for my taste whch I haven't managed for anybody else) nailed it with this one, as he said this is the Batman movie Batman fans have been hoping for. Leagues better than the first with Nicholson, and since that was leagues better than all its sequels we don't need to get into a comparison on that front.
And best of all they avoided the big mistake of the previous movies, Scarecrow is defeated but not killed. Always leave yourself open to re-use a good villain, there aren't that many, and when you kill all the good ones you're stuck with Poison Ivy and other lesser talents.
Yup. I loved the focus on Bruce Wayne, and seeing him as a human being strengthens whenever we see Batman because we know there's a real guy underneath the mask.
I also enjoyed how Alfred is portrayed as his surrogate dad; this leads to both funny scenes (like when Bruce wants to sleep in) and touching ones (such as in the elevator). Both Caine and Bale were excellent.