Great Film. However - Batman Begins was better.

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2008)

Went and saw TDK last night at midnight. And while all the build up of Heath Ledger's character did meet expectations, some other areas paled in comparison to Batman Begins. Some of the plot in this installment seemed rushed. The repetition started getting to me a little while into the film. I began noticing lots of the same elements from Batman Begins. Which, generally, isn't a bad thing. But for this movie, I was expecting something a little more fresh. In fact the only thing that seemed very fresh about TDK was The Joker's character. I believe they made a very big mistake hiring Maggie Gyllenhaal for the part of Rachel Dawes. As it pains me to say this, Katie Holmes actually played the part much better.
I'm certainly going to watch this movie a few more times. Hopefully not being in a jam packed scorching hot theater may change my view on the movie. However, overall Batman Begins seemed to flow better, and wasn't congested with various different character plot points. I gave this an 8/10. Later views may bring it to a 9/10.
There is one thing that remains certain, and was abundantly clear throughout the whole film. Heath Ledger did a superb job portraying The Joker. Oscar worthy? Perhaps. I wouldn't place bets quite yet on that. It's a shame he is no longer with us.
Cheers.