Also Bruce's looking to retire in Dark Knight and actually retiring in Rises annoys me.
Wasn't he willing to give up his crusade for Andrea in Phantasm? (Yeah I know it was before he became Batman but still) On the subject of "getting Batman", I think The Dark Knight gets Batman's character way more than the 89 film and on the subject of him retiring, I'm gonna quote straight from Nolan himself.

it all comes back to the scene between Bruce Wayne and Alfred in the private jet in Batman Begins (2005), where the only way that I could find to make a credible characterization of a guy transforming himself into Batman is if it was as a necessary symbol, and he saw himself as a catalyst for change and therefore it was a temporary process, maybe a five-year plan that would be enforced for symbolically encouraging the good of Gotham to take back their city. To me, for that mission to succeed, it has to end, so this is the ending for me, and as I say, the open-ended elements are all to do with the thematic idea that Batman was not important as a man, he's more than that. He's a symbol, and the symbol lives on.
Ledger gave a better performance but Nicholson's Joker felt more like the Joker to me
From a more aesthetic point of view, I can understand that since Nicholson's Joker had the Bleached skin and all the gimmicks like laughing gas, joy buzzers etc. but Ledger embodied the character better in my opinion especially his trademark fascination/relationship with Batman. I also never liked the subplot of Joker stalking Vicki Vale that really added nothing to the movie and felt out of character.