Although I did not see the first movie of this new Batman series, I would have to say that this movie probably surpassed the first in terms of overall talent and performance. It was a gritty, dark look at our favorite "Caped Crusader" with plenty of dark humor, violence, and insanity for any type of audience, though this is probably not a movie that young children should see anyway. Although I'm sure there are those who probably would say that they wouldn't see it, they are missing out on one of the best movies to grace theaters this year. (On a side note, Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was spectacular and if he doesn't win a posthumous Oscar for best supporting actor, I don't know who should)