The Batman was cool but messy.
Looking back, Begins might have been a bit schmaltzy at times and Generic Love Interest had been done to death even by 2005, but I dunno, I felt more for the characters.
RPats can mopingly glare at a little boy as many times as he wants, but it feels like it lacks something. Batman's parents don't need to be killed on-screen in every adaptation, but the pre-death flashback scenes with Bruce and his dad in Begins grounded the emotional core of the film (along with James Newton Howard's parts of the excellent score). That wouldn't work in The Batman since Thomas is supposed to be a dirtbag and the movie doesn't really "do" flashbacks (except for that one weird Alfred scene), so maybe I'm complaining just to complain.
Still, as good as the "TDK Trilogy" is I still think I prefer The Batman to Rises.
As a comics fan it was vindicating seeing some of my favorite runs have parts adapted. The big ones are obviously Year One, The Long Halloween and Zero Year, but the movie even ends with a No Man's Land setup which would be a FANTASTIC idea for a sequel. Rises kinda half-assed it but a real No Man's Land film would be amazing.
It did make the plot VERY boring though. Every twist is lifted from a run, even the Catwoman thing. So I mostly just sat there enjoying the aesthetics but not really the plot or characters.