I am a long time fan of the comics and was very pleased with the previous movie adaptation Batman Begins. This movie was even better that that. This was not just a good superhero movie or a good sequel, this was the Godfather part 2 of superhero movies. It was darker, it was more expansive, and Heath Ledger's portrail of the Joker was down right distrubing (in a good way). This movie deserves an Oscar.