There’s no doubt that Batman is my favorite comic book superhero, and Batman Begins is easily my favorite superhero movie of all time.

So naturally, I’ve been closely following all the little tidbits of news that have been trickling in about the sequel, The Dark Knight, which is scheduled to hit the big screen in July next year.

This evening, Batman fans in a few select cities across the country (including NYC, of course) were in for a real treat – a six minute long prologue, introducing the Joker, filmed in glorious 70mm IMAX sweetness. And let me tell you – it was badass.

If you didn’t get a chance to catch this first look, don’t worry. It’s supposed to play again at every IMAX screening of the new Will Smith movie, I Am Legend, starting next week. The clip is probably already on YouTube by now (or will be), but trust me – you really have to watch it on the massive 80-foot-tall screen to experience the full effect.

Damn, it’s going to be a long and difficult wait until July!

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