There are those who might say I am jumping on the band wagon here, but I’m jumping.

Last night, I saw the latest installment in the Batman series of movies, The Dark Night. I went in expecting a lot because I hadn’t heard a single bad review. Usually there is plenty of criticism for super hero (comic book) type movies.

But this movie lived up to the hype.  The entire 152 minutes is packed with action or significant dialog. Not to mention one of the coolest stunts I’ve seen in a movie (the semi truck).  I came out of the IMAX theater with sore muscles.  Not from bad theater chairs, but because I was tensing my body the entire time.

Critics have applauded the work done by the late Heath Ledger for his role as the Joker.  At first, I didn’t see what all the fuss was about, but as the film progressed into the later half, it became apparent that he did an amazing job.  As he walked out of the hospital, I realized that he nailed the role.  Is the performance deserving of an Oscar as some have proposed?  It’s surely worth a nomination.

The one let down was the part of Rachel Dawes, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. I didn’t feel anything for the character in this film.  The role was much better handled by Katie Holmes in the previous film, Batman Begins.  Maybe it was the script, but it just didn’t work for me.

All in all, a great film.  Definitely on my top 10 list.