Answer is yes, and not just by a little, but by a lot. Never has a comic book movie gone to the emotional depths of so many characters while maintaining action and humor. Heath Ledger is nothing short of brilliant as the Joker and it makes his untimely death even more heartbreaking. I thought no one could outshine Jack Nicholson's Joker, but this is not your parent's comic book movie. It's brutal and real and heart breaking at the same time. The acting is top notch and the story lives up to the hype.