The Dark Knight isn’t just another pointless superhero movie. The film is dark, intense and crammed with talented actors, non-stop action, humor and even moving social commentary.

In the latest installment of the series, Batman (Christian Bale) teams up with Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the new Gotham district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to take out the mob, but is soon faced with more surprising villains. The Joker (Heath Ledger) begins to taunt Batman with his insane desire for chaos, while Dent dates the only woman, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) really loves.

From romance to bank robberies, parties to political intrigue, the first hour of the film threads together strong character development and pockets of action.

Christian Bale plays the role of Batman perfectly. A wry playboy by day and a dark and troubled superhero by night — think Iron Man — Bale hits the spot with this classic secret superhero persona.

Heath Ledger steals the show with his acting finesse. He is unrecognizable playing the Joker. His face smeared with clownish makeup, his voice haunting and his mannerisms deliciously creepy, Ledger gives the Joker his most realistic, horrifying portrayal yet.

The finale of the film is long and intense as Gotham plunges into despair and back again and again. With surprising twists, relationships and deaths, the credits will leave the audience shocked, satisfied, and anxious for the next big screen installment of Batman.

Drenched in emotional turmoil, The Dark Knight goes past impressive big-budget sets and cities, until you’re constantly asking yourself what you would do if you had to kill others to save your own life. With intricate life and death decisions present, you’ll feel like you’ve experienced both an action-packed Batman comic and a socially conscious Ayn Rand novel.

The Dark Knight also offers a few roll-your-eyes technology moments. At one point, Bruce Wayne finds a villain’s fingerprint by examining the difference between a bullet hole in a wall and a bullet hole with the Joker’s fingerprint on it. However, the film brings you on to the next action-packed scene too quickly to remember the ridiculousness of the last one for long.

While the film isn’t perfect, it’s the closest thing to it that the big screens have seen this summer. It’s a two and a half hour trip into a dark and intriguing world.