Holy awesome sequel, Batman: The Dark Knight review

Well, I guess I get the honor of being the one-zillionth person to write something along the lines of "Heath Ledger is utterly brilliant as the Joker."

When discussing the first Michael Keaton Batman movie, I like to say Jack Nicholson's role of the character was so fantastic because he made it realistic. Compared to the old TV show, Jackie boy was spouting poetry and giving a haunting performance worthy of the title "arch villain."

Now, though, I have to rethink some things. Gone are the "Bang" guns and ridiculous schemes, replaced by genuine psychosis and a desire to see the world burn. Ledger's grinning baddie is, quite simply, chaos incarnate. He's dark, disturbed and utterly believable. For his performance alone, I say go see The Dark Knight.

Thankfully, the rest of the movie is top-notch as well. From the beautifully shot action sequences to superb performances from everyone on board, I absolutely adored this film. To avoid singling out Ledger, I'll also say Aaron Eckhart's transformation from district attorney Harvy Dent to Two-Face is elegant and equally deserving of high praise.

The Dark Knight was about thirty minutes longer than it needed to be, but otherwise I can't think of a single legitimate complaint to hold against the film.

What pleases me most is the fact DK refuses, like Batman Begins before it, to be tied down by the concept of genre. This is not a comic book movie. It is a gritty, violent, psychologically thrilling crime drama everyone should take the time to enjoy.