Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis - the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), and Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger dons the ghoulishly gleeful Joker makeup previously worn by Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero. Just as it begins to appear as if Batman, Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are making headway in their tireless battle against the criminal element, a maniacal, wisecracking fiend plunges the streets of Gotham City into complete chaos.

The third chapter in the rebooted sci-fi film franchise finds ape leader Caesar's (Andy Serkis in a voice and motion-capture performance) forces locked in a desperate conflict with the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a ruthless human whose army also includes a group of traitorous primates. As the war reaches it's apex, the virus that decimated much of humanity begins to cause some of the remaining survivors to slowly devolve into more primitive creatures. With Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller. 140 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks English Dolby Atmos, DVS Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles English (SDH), Spanish, French; audio commentary; deleted scenes; featurettes; art gallery; theatrical trailers. Two-disc set.