I prefer "Batman Begins" to this one. Scenes with Ledger make the film, but unfortunately for Bale, he has no scenes that even compare to Ledger's. This was Ledger's film, and considering this a Batman film, I had a problem with that. Maybe if I knew there was a possibility that Joker was going to reappear, but obviously that can't happen.

The bank robbery scene was underwhelming for the intro to Joker. I liked how they arrived on the rooftop, but there was nothing spectacular or particularly menacing about Joker from his first scene. I was expecting something like "Heat" and I got "Set It Off". Yeah, agreed, William Fichtner as the shotgun manager was odd.

I think what people are thinking off was a press conference for Harvey Dent intercut with chasing down Batman. You see no body or casket, but you see Gordon in front of a podium and a large pic of Dent behind him. I didn't get the impression that it was a funeral so much as a press conference.

Best part: I really enjoyed the "face-off" in front of the Sears Tower when Batman wrangles the 18-wheeler and turns it on end. I wished it was a little bit longer, but the pacing in that scene is well-done.

All-in-all, I think the film is a bit too frenetic for me. There's very little touched upon about Batman - until the very end. I'm looking forward to another film, but this is in no ways perfect. Watch again and let the imperfections present themselves.

My grade: B

Favorite of the year thusfar: "In Bruges" 

Frisky, why did you prefer Batman Begins? For me, that was a half decent idea riddled by absurdities which would only make sense if the film portrayed its characters with a similar manner (seriously, this "genius" guardian of hyper-capitalism and corruption decided to bring down a city by filling the water supply with a crazy-gas and then stealing a bomb that turns water into steam?? Talk about beating around the bush...).

Sure, it focuses on Batman more, but that's because it's an origin story. Batman can only become a side role from then on. It's always about the villains. That said, I think the film could have spent more time on Batman's reaction to Rachel's demise, and less time on pointless Hong Kong action scenes.

I liked the opening robbery scene. It showed Joker enacting his "mentality" at a small scale, turning people against each other, etc. If it start big and overblown it would have exhausted the viewers at an early stage.  

AMAZING film...Absolutely blew me away. As for a sequel, do you think there is any chance of Nolan making a movie version of the Dark Knight Returns? They would have to take out the chapter on Two Face and possibly the one on the Joker as well, but I would love to see his treatment on it. Obviously it would need changes, but just seeing the fight with Superman at the end of the movie would be epic. 

To answer your question, I preferred the first one because it is an origin story. I thought Nolan almost perfectly explored the intentions and dark matter from Wayne's past. Yes, I think the involvement with the water supply was as hokey as it was unoriginal, but I'm mainly talking the first two-thirds of "Batman Begins" is what I cherished. I'm not too keen on the last third.

As far as "TDK", I loved Joker in it, he was amazing, but Jonathon and Chris Nolan need to recognize their hero more. I understand the premise of this one and understanding that the city needed a hero's face, showing the great sacrifice and humility of Wayne as Batman, but I don't see that in his character. For all the "juicy" character parts Joker had, Wayne has maybe one. Maybe. Christian Bale can be a top-notch actor, but this doesn't showcase that at all. I would have loved more sparring between Joker and the Batman.

Some of the action sequences (i.e. Hong Kong, finding the Joker in the building through sonar eyes and the subsequent fights) I thought were too erratic. The cutting is off and it's shot in too many CUs to really understand what's going on. Considering that Batman is leaping through the building and tackling henchmen and saving clown-faced hostages from SWAT members, I would have liked to have seen it a little more than from what they were covering it.

All-in-all, there were some sequences that were flat out amazing. I do wish they some shots were held on the Joker to truly obtain his darkness. But, that's a wish perhaps. Good sequel, I just wish there was a little more Batman. 

The best scenes in my opinion were the disappearing pencil trick and Nurse Joker and the exploding hospital. 

Lastly someone had said that Batman decided to save Harvey instead of Rachel. I don't think this is true. He said he was going to save her and went to the address the Joker said she was at, only to find Harvey there.
The Joker set him up. . 

I believe (or maybe it is wishful thinking) the detonators on the ferrys were for their own boats, not the other one. Whoever decided to blow up the other ferry would have actually blown up themselves. That's what the Joker would have done just for the fun of it.