The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight (2008)

  • 94% of critics liked it
    (283 reviews)

  • 96% of users liked it
    (1,167,871 ratings)

Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis -- the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played… More

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In Theaters
Jul 18, 2008 Wide
On DVD
Dec 9, 2008
Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary

Critic Reviews

  • Laremy Legel, Film.com

    Christopher Nolan is much, much smarter than your average filmmaker.

  • Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

    Christopher Nolan's latest exploration of the Batman mythology steeps its muddled plot in so much murk that the Joker's maniacal nihilism comes to seem like a recurrent grace note.

  • Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

    The film is so relentlessly bleak that, paradoxically, its blackness is not given its full due. But this comic-book movie is more disturbing, and has more freakish power, than anything else I've seen all year.

  • Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

    Watching The Dark Knight is like gazing into a mirror on a waning moon night: chilling and mesmerizing.

  • Christopher Orr, New Republic

    Despite the tensions between its form and its function, The Dark Knight succeeds far more than it fails, and lingers provocatively in the mind.

Read all 23 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    One of the best superhero movies ever. Christian Bale continues to shine in this role. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are superb.

  • Phil H


    Batman Batman Batman, thats all I've been hearing for weeks, Heath Ledger this and Heath Ledger that, well now I've seen the film event of the year and I can say it is a good film but as suspected its not as GREAT as I have been lead to believe. Sure its probably one of the… More

  • Michael M


    You know my first response to the critical reviews of The Dark Knight was that I was absolutley shocked that a big budget, explosion diseased comic book super hero movie could possibly be as good as it was put out to be. To be honest, I hate to admit it, because of my disliking of… More

  • Joseph M


    Not just the best Batman film ever made, not only the best superhero film ever made but possibly one of the best films ever made. Christopher Nolan has created a modern masterpiece. I cannot stress how amazing Heath Ledger and his character the Joker are... The joker tops the best… More

  • Kevin C


    Christopher Nolan's and superhero cinema's best work.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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