Here it is. We've been speculating for some time, but the first reactions to "The Dark Knight" are streaming out onto the internet. This morning I woke up to a blog entry from KTLA's Sam Rubin, who screened the flick last night, and he says of Ledger....

"His work, as The Joker, will absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year, Ledger is also a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously."

So it looks like the glimpses we've gotten from the trailer are indicative of what will play out during the film. Rubin also calls "The Dark Knight" one of the best superhero movies ever. Rolling Stone gives the movie 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars. Early fan reviews are pouring out all over the place, raving about how the movie absolutely lives up to the hype. So let me just throw this out there. Could we actually be seeing a little robot named Wall-E battling with Batman for Best Picture? And imagine Jack Nicholson's reaction when Ledger wins the Oscar? He'd have to be up there presenting it, right?

Anyhow, I see the film on July 8th in IMAX, and I couldn't be more stoked. If any of you have seen it, I'd love to hear your reaction as well. Let the madness begin! Read Rubin's blog post about the film here.