RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Dark Knight (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
100 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:12

Fresh:12

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.7/10

Consensus: Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

Runtime: 2 hrs 33 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:24-07-2008

Synopsis: To say that Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT is the best comic book adaptation does the film a bit of a disservice. It may be a Batman film, but this isn't a kid-friendly action movie full of... To say that Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT is the best comic book adaptation does the film a bit of a disservice. It may be a Batman film, but this isn't a kid-friendly action movie full of the bams and pows of the original series. This is a pitch-black thriller with enough drama and tragedy to please even William Shakespeare, but it will certainly keep both comics fans and uninitiated audiences equally happy. THE DARK KNIGHT starts in the wake of BATMAN BEGINS: with the appearance of Batman (Christian Bale), Gotham City's criminal underworld is unnerved. They're also plagued by the new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who, in his quest for justice, remains above the city's corruption. Enter a new villain, the Joker (Heath Ledger), who wants to unite the criminals for a common purpose: to kill Batman. THE DARK KNIGHT is one of the most hyped movies to date, and a lesser film would be crushed under the weight of all that expectation. Some of the publicity stems from the early death of Ledger, who turns in an excellent performance. He provides moments of humor, but this Joker is terrifying, sharing more with classic villains such as Hannibal Lechter than with his comic book predecessors. Eckhart is equally good as Dent, and Maggie Gyllenhaal deserves praise for taking over the role of Rachel Dawes from Katie Holmes. Though there's more emphasis on plot and character development than in most comic book adaptations, that doesn't mean Nolan has skimped on any of the action sequences. Each set piece is done perfectly, leaving the audience breathless. THE DARK KNIGHT is filmmaking at its best; its subject matter may be dark and depressing, but it's tough not to feel exhilarated by its artistry when the credits begin to roll. [More]

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall, Nestor Carbonell, Michael Jai White, William Fichtner

Director: Christopher Nolan

Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Story: Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer
Producer: Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan
Composer: Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Teaser Trailer
    >
    Trailer #2
    >
    Trailer #3
    >
    There's A Batman
    >
  • Batman Will Have To Answer
    >
    He Can't Endure This
    >
    You Can't Ask Me To Wait
    >
    A Better Class Of Criminal
    >
  • Going To Come After You
    >
    If You're Not Getting Shot...
    >
    Batman Has No Limits
    >
    Break In
    >
  • A Travel Agent
    >
    We Need Lau Back
    >
    I've Heard All About You
    >
    Video Interviews
    >
  • Video Review
    >
    RT Review Revue Mini - The Dark Knight
    >
    RT Review Revue - The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia, Space Chimps
    >
    Batman's Arsenal
    >
  • RT Live Commentary
    >
1 - 4 of 21

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for The Dark Knight

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 12 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Shouldn't Nolan, marvellous as his directing here is, be creating original films rather than rebooting and retooling franchise fare?

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment 26 Comments
07/25/08
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Watching the first dizzying, vertiginous overhead shot of the glittering skyscrapers and minuscule streets, I literally forgot to breathe for a second or two, and found myself teetering forward on my seat...

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 25 Comments
07/25/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The action is devastating, high-wire and realistic.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 26 Comments
07/22/08
Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's one of this year's most haunting cinematic experiences.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment 3 Comments
07/16/08
Mark Lee
Mark Lee
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nolan cements his position as Hollywood’s premier purveyor of blockbuster smarts.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 4 Comments
07/15/08
Mark Dinning
Mark Dinning
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Dark Knight is 152 minutes long but is transfixing and all-enveloping, rather than arduous.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment 7 Comments
07/15/08
Tim Teeman
Tim Teeman
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, The Dark Knight goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind.

comment 17 Comments
07/17/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

To see it is to understand that Nolan and his co-writer brother Jonathan saw a chance to go deeper into familiar characters and mythology, a chance to meditate on darker-than-usual themes that have implications for the way we live now.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 6 Comments
07/16/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Iron Man and even more so The Dark Knight move the genre into deeper waters. They realize, as some comic-book readers instinctively do, that these stories touch on deep fears, traumas, fantasies and hopes.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 55 Comments
07/16/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Dark Knight is bound to haunt you long after you've told yourself, Aah, it's only a comic-book movie.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 23 Comments
07/10/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 18 Comments
07/07/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pure adrenaline. [Nolan], having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 15 Comments
07/07/08
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 12 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View
all

Latest News for The Dark Knight

November 24, 2009: WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
There's no denying that the Blu-ray format is vastly superior to DVD, but what if you've spent the last decade building up a substantial DVD library? Now that HD DVD is finally... More...

June 25, 2009: The Dark Knight Wins Big at Saturn Awards Opens in new window
The 35th annual Saturn Awards were held Wednesday night, with "The Dark Knight" earning a ceremony-high five awards -- including best action/adventure film -- and "Iron Man" and... More...

June 24, 2009: Academy Expands Number of Best Picture Nominees to 10 Opens in new window
With today's news that in February, the Oscars will field 10 best-picture nominees, the horserace that is the Academy Awards promises to look a lot more like - a... More...

April 28, 2009: Bale Crosses Fingers, Hopes Nolan Will Return for TDK Sequel Opens in new window
They've saved the juicy stuff for the print edition, but Total Film has posted a few bits and pieces of its recent interview with Christian Bale -- including some of his... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
3
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
126
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
90
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
63
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
59
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
55
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
44
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
27
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
15
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
1
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
15
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Dark Knight at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Dark Knight at IGN
  • The Dark Knight at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.