by Karyn L. Beach

I've been waiting for The Dark Knight since the credits began to roll at the end of Batman Begins. Now that the back story has been fully established, Batman faces his first major villain in the Joker, one of Heath Ledger's final roles.

It's hard being a superhero and Batman (Christian Bale) is no exception. The citizens of Gotham have mixed feelings. On the one hand, he's had an impact on crime. Yet, others view him as a vigilante. His old flame Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has moved on and has fallen for the new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). But crime never sleeps in Gotham and the city's organized crime bosses have banded together and are using a Hong Kong businessman, Mr. Lau (Chin Han) to invest and launder their money. But some joker is stealing their money! That joker is, actually, The Joker (Health Ledger) who is pretty much using the crime bosses to get to his real target, Batman.

Christopher Nolan is back at the helm for The Dark Knight and he continues to deliver. From the brooding set pieces to the explosive explosions, this is one nice looking film, But more than that, while it does have its share of action, it also has a compelling, if sometimes slightly confusing, plot. It also has a script that looks at the dichotomy of good and evil — with The Joker representing illogical, irrational evil and Batman representing the other side, a man who adheres to a code of behavior and honest and basic goodness.

More than a popcorn movie, The Dark Knight poses some provocative questions. There is a sequence that really shows the potential of people to choose the greater good over self-interest and it can't help buy make you think.

Of course, all of the buzz about this movie has centered on the performance of the late Heath Ledger and it definitely is a buzz and Oscar-worthy performance. He abandons the campy silliness of past Jokers (Jack Nicholson, Cesar Romero) and creates a new and more psychotic Joker. But credit has to be given to Christian Bale's Batman as well as Eckhart's Harvey Bent. Also the decision to replace Katie Holmes was a good one. She was the weak link in the first film. While I do think she's prettier than Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gyllenhaal is definitely the better actress. Holmes seemed out of her element in a movie as intense as Batman Begins with the caliber of talent that surrounded her. Gyllenhaal is a much better fit.

If there was a downside, it was that, at two and a half hours, it did begin to feel a little long.

The ending provided an excellent set-up for the next installment and I will be there with bells on!