The Dark Knight

There are superhero movies or comic book movies and then there's The Dark Knight .

I'm not sure where to start.

Let's get it out of the way right at the beginning - this is Heath Ledger's film, he owns it, he drives it and he absolutely captivates you from the very beginning.

All the wraps were 100% correct and it makes his death earlier this year even more tragic than it already was.

You just can't help but be shaken and offended by Ledger's Joker and his complete lack of conscience and sheer evil yet be dazzled and wowed by his performance which, with all due respect, makes Jack Nicholson's 1989 Joker look like a sideshow clown.

The Joker, who left his calling card at the end of Batman Begins, has been created by Christopher Nolan as a man with no morals, a lot of impulse, and (as the character points out) no plan other than anarchy. And he gets almost all the best lines.

I really want to go on and on about Ledger's stunning turn as an iconic character, one that he will now always be remembered for and will almost certainly be posthumously rewarded for, but you get the point. Take a bow Heath, this truly was your finest hour.

What's changed in the Dark Knight is that Rachel Dawes (now Maggie Gyllenhaal) is dating the DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) much to Bruce Wayne's dislike. Wayne displays this dislike by always having a lot of arm candy when he goes out.

Dent's prophetic line `You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain' tells you where things are headed. Everyone knows Harvey Dent becomes Two Face and just how was an excellent secret. Just wait and see.

Christian Bale is a very good Batman but he also suffers the curse of being upstaged.

The Dark Knight is not perfect. It does have flaws but they are far outweighed by how simply brilliant the script, the casting and the performances are. It blurs the lines between good and evil and not everyone escapes unscathed.

Where to from here? There are three classic Batman villains yet to be given the Nolan treatment - Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin.

I'd love to see him have a go at Catwoman, I think it is a shame Jim Carrey was wasted in the earlier Batman series because I see no-one else as the Riddler and I'm not sure about Penguin.

Don't miss The Dark Knight, it's more than just a superhero film. A 9 out of 10.