Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, debuted in theaters 15 years ago today, and is still considered one of, if not the greatest comic book movie of all time.
The film saw the return of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, who, after saving Gotham City from Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson), found himself pitted against an enigmatic agent of chaos who just wants to "watch the world burn."
After the character's introduction was teased with a playing card at the end of Begins, The Dark Knight gave us arguably the most celebrated comic book villain depiction of all time in the form of The Joker. Heath Ledger, who sadly passed away as a result of an accidental overdose of medications shortly before the movie was released, was nominated for and won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The movie itself was not nominated for Best Picture, but the Academy received so much backlash that it expanded the category to ten nominees.
Despite The Dark Knight's acclaimed status, the movie was not immune to criticism, and there is a vocal minority who believe it's highly overrated. Bale's exaggerated "Bat-voice" remains divisive (apparently, Nolan altered the actor's voice to sound more gravelly in post), as does the decision to kill-off Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face at the end of the movie.
The more negative reviews also focused on the lengthy run-time, a perceived lack of humor, and "muddled" plot. Even so, the majority of superhero movie fans continue to view The Dark Knight as the best the genre has to offer.
Did you mark The Dark Knight's 15-year anniversary with a re-watch? If so, do you think it holds up? Be sure to share your thoughts on the movie in the comments section.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.