irst let's talk about Heath Ledger. The late Australian actor is the genius of "The Dark Knight," giving a performance that is both outrageous and lip-smackingly creepy. British director Christopher Nolan wanted his sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins to be stuffed with as many meaty, sophisticated ideas and depressingly timely concerns into its 152 minutes as possible. He can thank Ledger for accomplishing that.

Then there's the technological milestone, with Nolan filming the first quarter - mostly hard-muscled fight scenes and wicked-cool Bat-vehicles snarling through the streets of Gotham - with IMAX cameras, marks the first time such a technique has been used in a mainstream movie, resulting in shots that are expansive, deep, and immersive.

Now the movie itself is as rich and epic as his origin story, but there are problems. Namely that with the exception of the iconoclastic Joker, unnervingly played by Ledger, there’s not a character in this film you really care about. That shouldn't annoy filmgoers, however, as from the film's first moments onward, The Dark Knight is fast, furious and fascinating.

As the bleak, black story begins, Gotham struggles with lawlessness while we get established with Batman/Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) crime-fighting brand. Wayne is secure in his secret identity as the playboy billionaire and has a loyal support group with tech wizard Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), police Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) in a fine selection of bow ties.