Batman: The Dark Knight

This is probably going to be the most celebrated movie of the year. Heath Ledger's performance is spellbinding; so much in fact that the film almost ceases to be about Batman. If the title had been Joker: Why So Serious? I think it would have sold just as well. So far it's broken at least three box-office records. In fact it's dethroned two god-awful movies, Star Wars Ep. III and Spiderman III, so I'm all the more happy about it.

I wouldn't call this the best movie ever. However, it is most certainly the best 'super-hero' movie ever, and maybe the best comic/graphic novel adaptation of all time. It will probably keep this distinction for quite a while too; somehow I doubt Zack Snyder is going to do Watchmen justice.

Heath Ledger is dead. That is a horrific shame, not only for the simple fact that he no longer lives, but also because The Joker isn't killed in this film. It would have been utterly fantastic to bring him back for the third part of the trilogy. With him gone it's very doubtful that the man who laughs will have anything near a significant role. One idea I heard was that they should go the Killing Joke route and have Batman visit the clown in his cell only to find that it's an imposter, and never see him again. That might work.

I'm not going to go into the plot at all because this really is just something you have to see; reading about it is futile. So is writing about it really. I can't put into words the genius of the Joker. Seriously. The rest of the cast is great, but the gap between them and Ledger is enormous.

Go see it.

UPDATE: I saw it in IMAX last night. As other people have said, you don't really lose much in the standard show, but damn is it impressive in full glory. I loved having to actually turn my head to see different parts of the screen. Overhead shots almost made me feel like I was going to fall into it. Really cool.