05 THE DARK KNIGHT 2008

BEST SUPERHERO MOVIE EVER. NO JOKE.

EXPECTATION The superb Batman Begins has laid the groundwork: bring it on.

OMG The Dark Knight instantly set a new standard for comic-book movies that’s yet to be matched. A crime thriller with the scope of Heat, TDK’s gritty realism doesn’t diminish its operatic stakes as Batman (Christian Bale) faces his chaotic opposite in the Joker (Heath Ledger, deservingly nabbing a posthumous Oscar for his incendiary turn), while the seeds are sown for the downfall of Gotham’s ‘White Knight’, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The blockbuster we needed, even if we didn’t deserve it.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT The Dark Knight Rises gave the series something that has eluded other superhero franchises: a definitive ending. “Why so serious?”

Ledger’s Joker drew inspiration from Sid Vicious and A Clockwork Orange’s Alex De Large.