Batman has a new beginning, an improved storyline, and now, a totally new direction in music with the 2005 entry in the franchise, "Batman Begins." In a rather impressive combination of primetime composers, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer teamed up to co-compose the score for Gotham's infamous here, and the results are slightly disappointing given the firepower both composers bring to the table.

Earlier in the summer, I read some notes that the music for this film was going to focus in on the inner turmoil of Batman, and that sparked up warning signs to me. From that point on, I had a feeling this soundtrack was going to play out more like a psychological thriller than a superhero score. For the most part, I would say that was an accurate estimate, and I suppose it couldn't have been written too far from that mark given the script treatment this new Batman received.

You may want to know about a theme for this film, ala Elfman's scores from the preceding films. There's nothing like that here. This is a totally new, revamped direction that we're headed in, like it or not. The new theme is actually tucked inside the score, in that it isn't made to draw too much attention to itself like most superhero anthems do. It was a risky but fitting tact that was employed to score it so.

A slight criticism I have is that the overall sound mix came across through in a bit of a mixed fashion. In fact, when the orchestra is at work, it is tough at times to determine what is synthesized and what is orchestral. Much like many of Zimmer's other outings, the music is crafted through a variety of resources he has at his disposal, thus it's not a surprising development to hear the end result in this instance.

Having intitially given this soundtrack an average grade, I found that the more I listened to the score, the more I appreciated the direction the composers were going in. Granted, it took me a while to get there, but in the end, I was swayed toward the interesting underscore and the budding theme that was trying to rise up.

A particular standout for me, and this cue seemed to combine some of the strengths of both composers, was Track 10, Molossus , which features an energetic rthym that is easily accessible and intense. Had it a stronger theme to build into, this track could have ended up on a year's 'best of' compilation. As it is, it stands as a rather unique action cue that has gone on to be replayed in a variety of movie trailers over the years. I would say that's effective.

I really expected more from this collaborative effort. Say what you want about how the music will fit the film, I think the music could have been more creative and a bit more resounding given the talents behind this.

Final Score: "Batman Begins" remains a slight disappoinment, however, it's the type of score that seems to grow on you. If you have this one in your collection, and you intially didn't care for it, you may want to give it another try. You might be surprised by the outcome.