Though Christian Bale is superb as the tortured Bruce Wayne/Batman, this movie really belonged to Heath Ledger. His take on The Joker was eerie, creepy... and even sympathetic. He's a man who has completely been taken over by this persona, and he's truly lost his identity - he even tells the story of how he got his scars several times, all different.
Loved the special effects, the supporting characters, and the entire storyline was solid from beginning to end. I liked that Harvey Dent made an appearance, but maybe his transformation should have been left for the third installment... It's good to know that Scarecrow will most likely come back, too.