It’s not anywhere near a hot take to say that The Dark Knight, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, is the greatest superhero film of all time. So we’ll go a step further: while others rank higher on our list, The Dark Knight is easily Christopher Nolan’s most influential film, and can be directly credited with ushering in the era of superhero oversaturation.
For years, movies tried, like a see-saw, to match this movie’s darkness and grittiness (see: Man of Steel) or go entirely the other way (see: most MCU films). But part of the reason that The Dark Knight is so singular is because while many have attempted, this is not an effort that can be replicated. Much has been said and will continue to be said about Heath Ledger’s Joker (one of cinema’s great villains), but the movie around him is just as perfect. The pacing is spot on, the cast is all locked in, and the action holds up. This is one of those movies where people of a certain age can all remember seeing it for the first time—and that doesn’t happen by accident. —ER
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