re: Rewatched Batman Begins last night

I think what you find is that these aren't standalone films. The first one leads you into the second with the revelation of the Joker, and the second one leads you to the third with the humiliation of Batman. It's one big arc.

Trying to portray Ra's in the movie like the comice wouldn't fly for Nolan's world. It would be too over the top that someone in this world can come back from the dead multiple times. So, I get what you are saying about him. But he was there to put Bruce Wayne on the path to being Batman in Nolan's world, and that was achieved.

The Joker is the Joker. He's in your face chaos and a totally different villian, just the same way that Bane will be different from both of them.

Katie Holmes is beautiful. Maggie looks like the TDK was played in reverse and the Joker messed her face up at the beginning.

No, Ra's speeches don't compare on a visual level with Joker's magic trick, but they aren't supposed to. Then again, Bruce doesn't jump out of a window in BB and leave a few hundred party guests alone with a psychopath in his apartment either.