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.

Who will save the Earth after huge alien spacecraft demolish the Empire State Building, the White House, downtown Los Angeles, and most of the world's major cities? How about a brave Marine pilot (Will Smith), a brilliant cable TV technician (Jeff Goldblum), and the U.S. president (Bill Pullman), who must all work together to coordinate a daring offensive to stop the invasion on the 4th of July? The smash-hit mixture of sci-fi thrills and disaster movie dramatics also stars Robert Loggia, Margaret Colin, Vivica A. Fox, and Randy Quaid. 145 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles English, Spanish; audio commentary. Two-disc set.