Welcome to another edition of The Playlist Podcast, where we discuss cinematic topics, ideas and notions around film and television and the art of these mediums. On this episode, I am joined by Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez to discuss the recent 10th anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s towering achievement in cinematic pop culture, “The Dark Knight.”
Ten years ago this month, “The Dark Knight” took the world by storm. With greater ambition and much more on its mind than typical comic book movie fare, ‘TDK’ grossed $533.3M domestically and over $1B worldwide (this was also a much different cinematic landscape than it is today). It also earned eight Oscar nominations and two wins (including a posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger’s iconic performance as The Joker).
READ MORE: The 10 Best Performances In The Films Of Christopher Nolan
In those ten years, the comic book sub-genre has become dominant, and an integral part of that debt is owed to “The Dark Knight” for breaking through the trappings of the genre and demanding that they be taken seriously. On this episode, we look back on the film as well as the entire “Dark Knight Trilogy” including how the excellent “The Dark Knight Rises” has been unduly maligned by fans. We look at how this middle chapter film has held up over the last ten years, and how the film shaped and changed the cinematic landscape, and not just the popularity of comic book films.
Ranked: The Films Of Christopher Nolan
We also parsed how Nolan’s misunderstood, mishandled “grounded” and “gritty” aesthetic— coupled with Hans Zimmer’s outstanding, overpowering score— has had a heavy influence on the blockbuster ecosystem as a whole (for better or worse and often worse), and we dissect all elements of its legacy as well.
Spoiler: we both agree its the best superhero movie ever made so far. Secondly, we dig into the complaint that the movie’s not really about Batman. Well, it’s not and that’s the point. “The Dark Knight” is not about The Batman or The Joker, but about the Gotham City and the fight for its soul (and how Harvey Dent essentially represents the ideal). Everything is at stake in this film including the humanity of its people a theme that runs throughout the trilogy (we also dive in deep on all its recurring themes).
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