We got a chance to see this on Saturday, and I'll echo what pretty much everyone is saying - it was just as amazing as the hype. To me, I couldn't really find anything I didn't like about the movie - and it was a thrill to watch from beginning to end. I thought Ledger's performance was unbelievable as well, and the "definitive" Joker for me as well. I think they would have a tough time replacing him in a future sequel as well. I think too many people are going to remember this movie mainly for him and his Joker (although the entire cast/movie was great), and there may even be backlash if they try to replace him. That's something my wife asked me as we left the theater: "who will be the bad guy in the next one now?". That's one of the great things about Batman, he has a pretty impressive Rogue's Gallery - probably the best in comics along with Spider-Man - so there are a lot of different ways they could go. I wondered if the "protects against cat scratches" comment was a wink to Catwoman as well, I thought the same thing when I heard that.
One of my favorite parts was the "magic trick" as well. That got a lot of people laughing in the theater we were at. Also, I have to say that Christian Bale really makes a great Bruce Wayne/Batman. I have the feeling he will get overlooked a bit with Ledger's performance and everything else, but he (and really the majority of the cast for both these movies) are incredibly actors, and I didn't see a weak performance from a single one of them. Good stuff. I'm already looking forward to the sequel. I'd like to see this again (or a few more times), but I'll likely have to wait for the DVD. Best movie I've seen in awhile though, that's for sure. Between The Dark Knight and Iron Man (didn't get a chance to see the Incredible Hulk) it sure is a good summer for quality "comic book" movies. I hope that trend continues in the years to come as we see more of our heroes brought to the big screen. I'm hoping the visions presented in these films will force the other franchises to "up their game", so to speak.