My husband and I went to a sunday matinee and it was so packed they opened another screen and it sold out as well. After much anticipation, we were not dissapointed. The storyline and character development were truly impressive. Christian Bale's turn as the tomented hero complemented Heath Ledger's ingenious portrayal of the joker. I believe Michael Caine was right when he asserted Ledger might be a up for an Oscar. He was brilliant in every way. I would go see this movie again, perhaps even two more times. I never read comics and sometimes movie adaptations fall flat, but this movie lives up to the hype.