Being the huge nerd and Batman fan that I am I simply couldn’t go without writing this one summer review. “The Dark Knight” is an achievement. It shows that a movie based on a comic book character can be smart, deeply layered, and still entertain the way any other good summer blockbuster can.

Without giving too much away, the story goes something like this: Christian Bale returns as Batman/Bruce Wayne and he is still fighting crime and doing it in style. Aaron Eckhart plays newly elected District Attorney Harvey Dent, a man dedicated to cleaning up Gotham City. Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon, who now heads the Major Crimes Unit, works with both to try and end the cancerous crime in Gotham. Things seem to be going well until a certain homicidal maniac with a disturbing set of facial scars starts to get involved.

Heath Ledger’s Joker is something else. The subtle movements of his face, the way he cackles; the way he walks, all these things combine to make the best onscreen Joker ever.

He doesn’t care about anything except causing as much anarchy and chaos as humanly possible. Kevin Garnett plays basketball and Ledger’s Joker plays terrorism. This is not your lame and buffoonish Jack Nicholson Joker. This is the Joker that carries knives in double digits, a Joker who would rather use a knife than a gun because a bullet kills “too fast.” Those people chatting up a posthumous Oscar nomination aren’t making it up, Ledger deserves one. “No Country for Old Men’s” Anton Chigurh would be downright frightened of him.

Bale also turns in another great performance as the titular hero. Yes, his gruff and throaty Batman voice sounds a bit ridiculous but it’s what makes the most sense. If he was to just talk normally people would recognize him as Wayne and the bad guys wouldn’t be afraid of him.

Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine return to their roles as high-tech gadget supplier and helpful father figure respectively. Maggie Gyllenhaal comes on to replace Katie Holmes as love interest and D.A. Rachel Dawes.

Director Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan wrote the spectacular screenplay which not only gives us a great Batman story but a gritty crime thriller as well. This story could easily be told without Bat-ears and a cape.

In general the story in this film is much more complex and cohesive than that of “Batman Begins.” The Nolans juggle many plots and subplots and never lose the audience in the process.

Some of the best parts of the movie are the excellently written dialogues between Batman and The Joker. They evoke the long standing tradition of The Joker’s utter chaos smashing against Batman’s iron resolve to keep things in order. Bat-fans will be happy with the results.

One of the best things about “The Dark Knight” though is the greater use of practical effects over computer generated ones. Both are employed in the film, but never do the artificially rendered aspects of big action scenes look ridiculous. In a summer of overused computer effects (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) it’s refreshing to see filmmakers stick to the tried and true methods that make a movie feel more believable. “Iron Man” is another good example of this.

However, I really have to stress that this is not a kids movie. Yes it’s only a PG-13, but “The Dark Knight” is just at the tip of becoming an R-rated affair. The menace The Joker creates permeates almost the entire movie. Even if they don’t get everything that is going on, kids will still be afraid just looking at him.

If you’re a fan of Batman, comics, or disturbing crime epics this is a film for you. Watch for Ledger’s Oscar nomination. He will get one. And if there is any justice in this world there will be more nominations for this stupendous masterpiece.

Luke Soin can be reached at [email protected].