STARRING: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman.

RATING: 10/10

Few movies in recent memory have created as much hype as “The Dark Knight.” The prospect of another hyper-realistic Batman film picking up where director Christopher Nolan’s hit “Batman Begins” left off would have been enough.

The prospect of Heath Ledger’s maniacal portrayal of the Joker only added fuel to the fire. And Ledger’s death of an accidental prescription drug overdose on Jan. 22 turned “TDK” into a firestorm of anticipation that would not be extinguished until June 18 — opening day.

“TDK” focuses on Batman (Christian Bale), new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and

Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) attempt to rid Gotham of the mob. Everything is turned on its side when the mob hires a man who says he can kill Batman, the Joker (Ledger).

Using a wide-array of resources — which thankfully does not include a can of shark repellent bat spray — Batman must find a way to keep Dent’s case against the entire city’s mob members legitimate and stop the Joker from terrorizing Gotham in an attempt to destroy him.

The film explores Batman’s limits and dedication to saving Gotham City. Like Superman in Richard Donner’s “Superman II,” Batman questions his crime fighting ways and contemplates giving it up. Wayne also questions the inspiration created by the Batman, from inspiring Gotham residents to defend the city to creating extreme criminals. The Joker said it best, “You’ve changed things.”

Fans looking for a simple “good guy beats up bad guys” premise might be disappointed. Unlike nearly every superhero movie to date, “TDK” plays more like a crime thriller than a typical superhero movie. It is more similar to “Heat” and “The Usual Suspects,” but with more action and suspense.

The film has the same tone and style that made “Begins” such an amazing film, but “TDK” travels into new territory. The story is constantly twisting and turning on its path toward resolution, never taking a detour to let the momentum of the movie slowdown, making the two-and-a-half hours fly by.

The hyper-realistic world created by Nolan is what drives the film. To say the cinematography is amazing is an understatement. The aerial shots of Gotham City (Chicago), Hong Kong and everywhere in between give a real-world feel to Nolan’s vast vision.

Bale, Michael Caine (Alfred, the butler), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), and Oldman are back to their superb forms. Not only are their performances true to their characters and believable, all of these characters are strengthened and explored through their interlocking relationships.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes, formerly Katie Holmes) gives a strong performance as the link between Wayne and Dent. Though she plays the love interest of both men, she is far from the traditional damsel in distress; she is one of the few people in all of Gotham to stand up to the Joker.

Eckhart portrays Dent as the fearless crusader who does not have to wear a mask. Eckhart’s performance escalates and become more intense as his situations become more dire.

And, of course, there is Heath “Scene Stealer” Ledger’s Joker. Phenomenal. The Joker is played as an agent of anarchy who wants nothing more than to completely disrupt the establishment.

Ledger went back to the Joker’s roots — but not too far back — to the era when the Joker was a random wrecking ball terrorizing on a whim. The best thing about this extraordinary performance is how funny it is. But it never crosses the line into campy or even forced humor. Ledger manages to get a laugh as he terrorizes a group of hostages, impales an attacker and even destroys a hospital. But just as often, he gets groans of amazement, shock and horror as he creates situations and acts like a villain from the most intense of slasher films.

The Joker is reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell’s Alex from “A Clockwork Orange,” if he wore clown makeup and had an even more twisted sense of humor. Ledger’s Joker makes Jack Nicholson’s Joker look like Cesar Romero’s Joker.

Though it is a long shot for any major Academy Awards (such as best actor or picture), it is only because it is in the superhero genre. The suspense and action in “TDK” never let up. Batman and comic book fans will definitely consider “TDK” as the best in the genre, but moviegoers in general will enjoy the movie for its rich and complex characters, its non-stop action (I know you always hear this, but this movie keeps on moving and setting itself up) and its intriguing story that does not reveal itself until it is happening right on screen.

Go see this movie. Think of the best adjective you can think of and that only begins to describe “TDK”‘s greatness.

Just go.