Very dark story about morality, good and evil. The Joker is the instigator of chaos, manipulating everything to his end. His power resides in his calculating, twisted mind which come up with elaborate terrorist plots. Heath Ledger plays a very creepy convincing Joker. I honestly didn't know he had it in him. At 2 hours and 30 minutes, I didn't feel the movie dragged on at all, which is honestly surprising. Batman is not really the source of all the development in this movie; many characters are fleshed out and get a lot of screen time. The drama is captivating, and the story took some surprising twists I didn't expect. Things are very grim for Batman and Gotham City from start to finish. It constantly keeps you wondering how things will every clear up and get better; The Joker's power is far more eminant than it was in the Batman made almost a decade ago. This is simply a must see for any fan of action or dark drama. It's not childish or comical like the old Batmans, it's gritty and real. This is a Batman made for an adult audience; it's every bit as mature as the other major action/dramas out, only executed extremely well. Highly recommended.