Heath Ledger does not steal the show, but only because he has competition. He outdoes Jack Nicholson's Joker.
"This city deserves a better class of criminals . . ." Should replace "Where does he get those toys?"
Michael Caine is his usual droll self.
The action is there for the guys. Is the romance there? (I am not sure, I saw it with my sons. But enough for us.)
I've been waiting for this since Batman Begins. And I was not disappointed.
Lots of action. Lots of laughs. More if you pay attention to the dialog. Particularly between Bruce Wayne and Alfred.
How well defined are the characters? How believable is the character development? I am easy to satisfy. I was. You will have to make up your mind for yourself.
This movie is a great movie to go to with the guys. The action scenes are great. The villians are evil and you love seeing them get their just deserts. Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow are also excellent in their roles, but lets face it: Our hero is supposed to be Iron Man. All the babes go for him. He does marvelous and fantastic things. Take a date to a different movie. Take your sons to this one. I've seen it 3 times. It's fun.