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After seeing The Dark Knight on Friday, I told my friend Nick it was the first film I had seen on opening night in quite some time. I'm not sure if it's by design, or if I'm just averse to crowds. Perhaps all of those critics' screenings spoiled me on seeing a movie by myself.

Regardless, I picked a good movie to see on an opening night. Judging by how quickly this film is shattering box office records, it will likely be the biggest film of the year -- perhaps of the last few years, even. It's the perfect storm of movie openings -- there's the base of viewers from the franchise's reboot (Batman Begins), the wider audience familiar with the character, the curiosity over Heath Ledger's untimely death. In other words, it was quite a diverse audience on Friday night -- from folks dressed like the Joker to folks who just like going to the movies each weekend.

But enough about all of that noise -- how's the movie, right? Well, it's very good. Like Spider-Man and X-Men before it, The Dark Knight concerns itself with the lofty themes that so many comic books try to tackle. While Batman Begins touched on those ideas, it also seemed far too willing to break its own rules, an absolute no-no in any fantastical world. "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you" was a divisive statement, and one that soured me on an otherwise pretty good film.

For that reason, The Dark Knight feels like a refreshing clarification on the character that was re-established in 2005. It would be too much to call this film a mulligan, but I certainly sensed that director/writer Christopher Nolan was aware of his previous film's few mistakes. The world and its characters are more honest and true this time around.

Several reviews I've read have discussed how Nolan films his action sequences. Most of them are complaints, ranging from mediocre to inept. I'd probably agree, but what really excites me about this film is that it's one of the few summer blockbusters more concerned with ideas than action. It would be unfair and probably untrue to say that Nolan is not interested in every detail of his film -- but considering the lofty aims of his film, I don't blame him for the sometimes frenetic fight sequences or car chases.

I can't help but write this blog post/review/whatever with some sense of caution. Everyone, it seems, is fawning over The Dark Knight. Perhaps some of what I wrote above is fawning as well. But I'm a bit disturbed by some of the more extreme hysteria -- reviews that call it The Godfather of superhero films or already start the Academy Award drumbeat are missing the point. Instead of discussing what makes this film work, too many people are trying to identify its place in history. Much of this, I'm sure, comes from Heath Ledger's work in the film -- some viewers are trying to either link the role with his death earlier this year, or respectfully praise the performance which will long be regarded as his last great work.

It's this kind of thinking that disturbs me when it comes to the film. While Ledger is great, it's a very showy role. Not an easy one, mind you, but playing the most colorful role in a summer blockbuster doesn't carry the same weight with me as Ledger's role as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain does. That work was slow, methodical and tortured -- difficult to appreciate, and not so immediately rewarding, but rich and satisfying when you reach the film's conclusion.

I say that not to devalue Ledger's work, or the film itself. In fact, I'm unhappy with this post because it seems to suggest otherwise, and contributes to a lot of the "noise" that bothers me not about the film, but the reactions to it. By trying to elevate the film, or its late star, the conversation begins to concern the product and not the ideas. Which is a real shame, since it's a film largely about ideas. Ideas of justice and sacrifice that, while not difficult to understand and process, are not something you see much of in mainstream films, let alone mainstream summer films.

The irony in Ledger's already-famous performance is that he's embodying a rather simple and direct character. The Joker lurches around the screen, several times explaining his own approach to life. As the title says, he's simply a man who wants to watch the world burn. Or as The Joker himself says, he's like a dog chasing cars. Ledger's a scene stealer, but that means he has to steal from someone -- Batman (Christian Bale), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) comprise the moral center of this film. It's their actions -- often difficult, and complicated -- that decide the film's morality.

It's this core of the film that I've found so rewarding. It's also one that I wish I heard more discussion about -- as this, more than any kneejerk comparison or statue, is what will ultimately define the film.