Early Buzz: The Dark Knight Delivers

The early critical buzz for Christopher Nolan's Batman movie is overwhelmingly positive. At the time of publication, a whopping 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety calls it "an ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity ... that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some."

Rolling Stone gave the film 3 1/2 of 4 stars, saying there is "something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe." And Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker is not the comic relief that Jack Nicholson offered in the 1989 film, but "mad-crazy-blazing brilliant."

The Hollywood Reporter says the movie is "pure adrenaline."

If your plan is to see the movie on opening night, you may want to get your tickets ASAP. The Los Angeles Times is reporting all-night sell-outs in some major cities. According to reporter Michael Cieply: "In a frenzy, fans have bought so many late-night tickets for the July 18 opening of the next Batman movie that theaters in places like San Diego, Chicago, and even Eagan, Minn., are scheduling 6 a.m. screenings for those who can’t get in at midnight or 3 in the morning."