Are you ready for the Dark Knight?

Well one of the most hyped movies of the past couple of years opens locally on Friday. First thing Friday. At 12:01 a.m. to be precise when the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises - the final Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale take on the Batman legend - quenches the fans anticipation. As a self-professed comic book geek dating back to my childhood, I'm about as excited as anyone. First The Avengers, one of my childhood and adult favorite comics lives up to the hype. Then The Amazing Spiderman reboot proves equal if not better than the original. Now, it the third installment of the current Batman storyline is ready to roll in. Hats off to Southpark 7 in Spencer for taking part in a special showing of all three Batman films Thursday night, starting with Batman Begins at 6 p.m. and The Dark Knight at 8:45 p.m. leading up to the midnight debut. I wish I could take part in the Batman marathon - and I would if I could - but unfortunately duty calls. So I'll have to skip the night of the caped crusader and make my way to the theater Friday night. I've got the other two on DVD at home anyway. A message to viewers, be prepared, this final installment will last 2 hours and 45 minutes so grab an extra large bucket of popcorn and maximize your drink. Would love to hear any thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises.