Not nearly as good as Batman Returns

Rating: 5/10 (15 December 2008)

It's hard to believe that this film rates in the Top 10 of all IMDb-rated movies. Sure, it deserves more than 5 stars on Heath Ledger's performance alone. But let's face it: This movie doesn't hold a candle to Nolan's first Batman effort.
There is very little plot. There is a whole heckuva lot of brooding. There is dark aplenty, but to what purpose? I got so tired of it, I was ready to just have Heath get rid of Batman for once and all.
The Nolan/Christian Bale combo is dynamite, but this screenplay and plot is anything but.
Still, there is Heath Ledger, and he is really superb. What a loss for us all. And, as always, the movie LOOKS great, filled with the typical Nolan touches. I've recovered and I'm ready for a third Nolan/Bale effort, just with a bit more thought to story and at least some measure of action.