If only Nolan - or the folks around him - had exercised a little restraint...  The Dark Knight almost transcends the conventions that plague all comic book movies (dialogue laden with statements of intent, ridiculous voiceovers, too many villains).  If only they'd stopped at the two-hour mark...

But don't get me wrong.  It was fantastic - and by far the best summer action fare you'll feast eyes and ears upon this year.

The first two acts struck a rare balance between drama, action, and comic book.  It had the tenacity to really explore a dark subject matter that may not appeal to the child-base of comic collectors, while writing in enough action to please crowds wanting car and motorcycle chases, explosions and fist-fights.

The star-studded cast is phenomenal across the board.  Gyllenhaal brings a courage and confidence to Rachel Dawes that was lacking in the first film.  Gary Oldman's "every-man" portrayal of Gordon is a great departure for him that he nails in every scene.  Caine's paternal portrayal of Alfred is complex and emotionally present.  And Ledger...hot damn!!!  Perhaps the best villain I've seen in a decade.  He settles into both the skin and mind of the Joker with a  conviction and ease that will likely win him a post-mortem Oscar.

Nolan proves yet again that he's a bad-ass director.  His understanding of pace and movement are unprecedented.  Ninety minutes in, captivated but curious, I glanced at my watch thinking I'd only been in the chair for a little over half an hour.

The first hundred or so pages of the script did an excellent job as well - of saying just enough for less sophisticated audiences to get it, without insulting film-philes.

The problems begin at the two-hour mark, when the script begins to fall into some comic-book film pitfalls.  Just when the film should end, it launches into an unnecessary fourth act that would have been better saved for a sequel.  I thought, after the numerous mistakes made in the later Batman movies (when Schumacher was at the helm) - where three villains and two new good guys appeared in every film (all of them doomed to be under-developed), that Nolan had put these errors aside.  Alas, no; even the brilliant are subject to pitfalls.

During this fourth act, the dialogue takes a sudden turn in the wrong direction - employing corny voiceovers better left unsaid, every character taking their turn at some lengthy monologue about *why* they did it, or why they're *doing* it, why they're so conflicted and complex.  And in so doing, the complexity is actually lost.

The brilliance of the first two hours slowly melted away as I looked at my watch and asked "why"?  Why do this to the ending?  Why is this necessary?  Why not leave well enough alone, and shave $10 million off your production budget?

So I left the theater thrilled at the great ride of the beginning, trying to forget the end, somewhat grateful that (my personal childhood favorite comic) maintains its title as the greatest comic adaptation ever.  Way to hold on, X-Men 2...