The hype was about Ledger's awesome portrayal of the Joker and how it is Oscar-worthy. In my opinion, it is not. Yes, Ledger delivered an amazing performance, but like his previous movies, he has always been great in all of his roles. The Dark Knight is really no different. If he was still alive, I believe he could still outdo the Joker.
The movie is not boring at all, and if you are a Batman fan, you would definitely enjoy it. I am not big on recent Batman movies and only really went because of Heath Ledger, but I liked how it kept me on the edge of my seat. The 2 1/2 hours went by fast.
So yeah, go see The Dark Knight so you could join in on your friends' endless discussions. Four stars for performance, effects, storyline, pacing and the darkest Joker ever. xxx