Throughout April, we’re counting down to the release of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 with our picks for the Greatest Comic Book Movies of All Time; here’s #7….
The Dark Knight Rises, 2012.
Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Josh Pence, Alon Abutbul, Juno Temple, Matthew Modine and Ben Mendelsohn.
Having rejuvenated the Batman franchise with 2005’s Batman Begins and it’s blockbuster 2008 sequel The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan reunited with Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader in 2012 to deliver the epic conclusion to his Dark Knight saga. Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises sees Batman forced out of a self-imposed retirement when his beloved Gotham City is threatened by the brutal terrorist leader known as Bane (Tom Hardy).
A huge smash hit, The Dark Knight Rises went on to set a franchise high at the box office, pulling in $1.081 billion world-wide, making it the third biggest release of 2012 behind Marvel’s The Avengers and Skyfall. It was also a big hit with both fans and critics alike (indeed, any critics brave enough to declare the film as anything but a masterpiece were threatened with violence, forcing Rotten Tomatoes to disable user comments in the build up to its release) and brought the curtain down on one of the finest movie trilogies ever committed to film.
The Dark Knight Rises marks the fourth appearance in our countdown for Bob Kane’s Dark Knight Detective, with Batman Returns at #27, the animated Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm at #25, and Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman at #9. With just six spots remaining in our countdown, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing the Bat again…
Keep up to date with our entire countdown here.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
Originally published April 19, 2013. Updated November 30, 2022.
