The early reviews are in and the late Heath Ledger is dazzling a the Joker in the new Batman film ‘Dark Knight.’  Many are already stating that Ledger should be posthumously nominated for an Oscar.

Director Chris Nolan’s latest installment of Batman, shown to a packed IMAX house Saturday in LA, made good on many of the amped-up promises touted in its trailers: cooler new toys, groundbreaking cinematography, a darker tone and the genesis of a villain named Two-Face.

But Ledger’s green-haired fiend overshadowed all of them, from the first moment he appeared onscreen to a burst of applause and cheers from the audience.

It’s hard not to wince a little when Ledger’s character gets going on the topic of death, as he frequently does. It’s been only six months since the actor was found dead from an accidental overdose in his SoHo pad.

In this flick, Ledger showed us what a masterful actor he was - certainly deserving of a posthumous Oscar nomination.

I am sure Heath’s last movie will make many of his fans smile, laugh, cry and marvel at what a great talent he was in Hollywood.