Batman fighting crime in Gotham City
It's not often you see a giant bat-shaped car driving through central London, unless perhaps Batman is in town.
The caped crusader'sfamous Batmobile was here for the European premiere of new Batman film The Dark Knight, a film which has already been making wavesat the US box office.
It has set a box office record for best opening weekendever, taking $155m (1.1bn yuan) in the US alone in its first three days in cinemas.
But while it is not unusual for summer blockbustersto make a lot of money, what is less common is for such films to receive good reviews from critics.
"An epic that will leave you staggeringfrom the theatre, stunnedby its scopeand complexity," was how Associated Press described the film, one of many reviews which sung the praisesof the latest Batman film.
The movie, which stars British actor Christian Bale in the lead role and the lateHeath Ledger as his arch-enemythe Joker, has already been voted the number one film of all time by users of the website imdb.com.
The story follows the superhero Batman as he battles the criminal underworldin the fictional Gotham City.
One particularly stunning part sees Batman leap from the top of the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong; and even features a cameo rolefor controversial star Edison Chen.
Many critics have singled outHeath Ledger's performance as the maniacalJoker, who wreaks mayhemas Batman tries to stop him.
Anglo-American director Christopher Nolan described his performance as breathtaking, complex and "hard to pin down". Co-star Sir Michael Caine called him "one of the greatest villainsyou've ever seen."
GLOSSARY词汇表
caped crusader披斗篷的先锋（蝙蝠侠的别称）
box office票房
summer blockbusters夏季大片
stunned受惊的
sung the praises表扬
criminal underworld黑社会
singled out挑出，选出
wreaks mayhem犯下重伤罪
hard to pin down很难下结论
accidental prescription drugs overdose意外过量服药
making waves掀起一阵热潮
opening weekend首个周末
staggering摇摇晃晃
scope（影片的）范围
arch-enemy死敌
cameo role（电影中）托明星演员的小配角
maniacal疯狂的
breathtaking激动人心的
villains坏人，反面人物
posthumous死后获得的
编辑:李霞
