Let’s take a look at what The Dark Knight could have been:

Robin galore. Batman takes Robin under his cape and mentors him. Batman raises the young child and is always there for him even during that rainy summer night when Robin discovered his first pubic hair at age 27. When Batman finally thinks Robin is good enough to be the sidekick, Robin instead wastes all his time motorcycle racing neon graffiti gang members. Soon enough , a new bad guy is on the rise. It’s none other than the Joker (played by Ashton Kutcher), of course. Tommy Lee Jones reprises his role as Two Face because the Men In Black 3 script hasn’t come in yet. Alicia Silverstone is an executive producer. Danny Devito hangs out on the set. Everyone has a restraining order against Val Kilmer.

Tim Burton directs a single scene that includes Johnny Depp smoking, playing guitar, and taking a nap in a tank top for no apparent reason. The Batman fights the Joker once but the J-Man gets away. Jack Nicholson heckles the Joker at a Lakers game and insists to Morgan Freeman’s character that they must make a “bucket list“ and that he has a “really good Prince album I have to show you.” George Lucas gets a hold of the script and now the Joker is an Alien. By the hour and 30 minute mark, everybody has been turned into an alien. Eventually, Batman and the Joker fight one last time, the Joker makes a one liner, but Batman somehow wins the fight. George Clooney cameo. End credits include the old Batman theme performed by Matchbox 20. The film comes out in a “Movie on Tape” version that features Morgan Freeman reading the script. The end.

Alright, maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad. I don’t think anybody who saw Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins really thought they’d make a movie about sunshine and rainbows the second time around, but the movie still could have been a whole lot different. What could have easily been an hour and 40 minute movie filled with clichéd villains and a somewhat predictable story line and some cool scenes, was instead a gritty 152 minute epic that demanded your attention for every second.

While the new Hulk film, for example, was a step up from the 2003 disaster of a movie, it still had the same “been there done that” feel. The Dark Knight, on the other hand, is like a hard punch to the face that feels good. It makes sure you don’t divert your attention for a second because Joker forbid you may miss something while looking down at your overpriced Pepsi while you drink it. Unpredictable and fun, The Dark Knight isn’t just a perfect summer movie filled with entertainment. But, instead, it locks you into the story and characters in such a big way that 152 minutes feels too short. And, not only that, it’s safe to say that I can’t wait to see it again. What more could I ask for from a movie?

The action in The Dark Knight can satisfy anyone from a special effects guru all the way to a knuckle head that thinks Ice Cube’s performance in XXX: State of the Union was “dynamic.” But, The Dark Knight truly shines with the characters. Specifically, Heath Ledger. Christian Bale, just like in Batman Begins, proves he’s been the only actor so far (in the Batman films at least) to really make me believe he’s Batman. Aaron Eckhart, also does a great job as Harvey Dent. A performance is truly awesome when the audience can go from hating him to loving him to…well you get the point. Michael Caine is great as always.

Heath Ledger, although, is on a totally different level. During the previews and even opening credits all the way to the opening scene, the crowd didn’t shut up. Clearly, seeing The Dark Knight at midnight meant “let’s bullshit and talk as loud as we can.” But, once Ledger came onto the screen, it was if somebody pointed a remote at the crowd and pressed “mute.” From then on, the crowd kept to themselves with the exception of the classic pastime of leaning over to your friend and saying “that was awesome!”

Sure, the movie has gained more attention after Ledger’s death, but it is his performance that truly deserves the attention. Not because of how he died or how he prepared to play the Joker, but because of every second of what he accomplished on the screen. Once again, the character could have simply been two dimensional and added to the long list of predictable villains. Instead, the Joker stands proudly (with creepy posture) with the characters of Darth Vader, Hannibal Lector, etc. But, more so than that, Ledger accomplished what every actor should be doing: create a character that doesn’t appear as an actor playing somebody but instead doing it so well that it gives the character a life of it’s own.

Sure, we knew it was Heath Ledger under the make up, tattered purple suit, and creepy voice because that’s what we’re told. But, while watching the movie, it’s clear that he’s created something much bigger than that. He’s created something that will always live on in the world of film.

Grade: A