Then again, what am I talking about Harvey Dent so much for? This is the Joker's movie, right? Well, yes and no: Heath Ledger's performance will no doubt become legendary, partly because of the tragedy of his death, but partly because his portrayal is the new standard for the Joker. He nailed it -- the voice, the tics, the lies, the laugh, and he's given some brilliant scenes -- pay close attention to his magic trick, not to mention the entire five minute opening sequence. But I wouldn't say he owns the movie, simply because all the other actors are so uniformly strong, and Christian Bale remains the best Batman yet. And yes, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are still around too (as is one other face from Batman Begins, albeit briefly).

Yep, there are a lot of very major characters, which works partly thanks to a very balanced script and partly thanks to a two-and-a-half hour runtime. It's long in the best sense: you'll feel like you're getting your money's worth without feeling fatigued. I am tempted, however, to say there might be such a thing as being on the edge of your seat too much. Even during very simple scenes, the camera has a tendency to pan ominously while a super-tense background song is heard. (To be fair, the movie's consistent about throwing us some comic relief -- there's not a ton, but it's always funny.)

So yes, there are flaws. But in the age of the fanboy-populated Internet, when every little detail of a movie's production is found out and post it online a year before it's released, it's enormously satisfying to discover that the most anticipated movie of them all -- Indy was a close second -- can still knock your socks off. Just having the best-ever Batman and the best-ever Joker square off would've been enough to send us rushing to the theater, and director Christopher Nolan has placed them inside an ensemble crime saga that should make Scorsese proud.

Movie Grade: A

Synopsis:

A sequel to the highly successful reboot of the Batman franchise Batman Begins, The Dark Knight returns to the world of Gotham City and Batman/Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) quest to save it.

In the wake of crime lord Carmine Falcone's downfall, a number of gangsters have emerged vying for control of the city, among them Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts) and Gamble(Michael Jai White). But a new breed of terror has arrived, in the form of psychotic bank robber the Joker (
Click Here to Read More ...