Is ‘The Dark Knight’ Secretly a Remake of Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’?
The Dark Knight was released on July 18, 2008. Ten years ago this very day. And on that day, Batman movies were changed forever by Christopher Nolan. But was Nolan actually just working from a template established by Tim Burton in his 1989 Batman film? The two movies are actually a lot more similar than you might realize.
In the video essay above, ScreenCrush’s Ryan Arey breaks down all the similarities between The Dark Knight and Batman, from the villain to the introduction of Harvey Dent to the climactic confrontation between Batman and the Joker at the top of a tall Gotham City building. He also notes the differences between the two films, particularly in terms of tone and theme, which ultimately make The Dark Knight a better movie and a better version of Batman. (Hint: It might have something to do with the fact that one Batman refuses to kill, and one Batman kills a whole lot of people.)
If you enjoyed this video comparing Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight with Tim Burton’s Batman, check out some more of our videos below, including our comparison of Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War, a side-by-side look at the movie versions of Justice League and The Avengers, and a history of Superman and Batman’s costumes onscreen from the 1940s up through the 2010s. Plus, there’s tons more over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes.