The Dark Knightis the greatest superhero movie of the 21st century, at least according to The New York Times' polling pool. The publication recently unveiled its 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century List. The list polled more than 500 filmmakers, actors, and influential film fans to vote for the 10 best movies released since Aug 22, 2025, and it was up to the voters to define what “best” meant to them. With superhero movies being one of, if not the dominant genre of the 21st century, the list would have to include at least one, and Batman ranked the highest.
The Dark Knightranked #28 on the New York Times 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century List. It is one of only two superhero movies to make the list, alongsideBlack Panther, which ranked #96.The Dark Knight is also director Christopher Nolan’s fifth film on the list, and his highest-ranked film. RegardingThe Dark Knight, The New York Times wrote:
“Indifference to superheroes isn’t a prerequisite for making a great film about them. But Christopher Nolan’s allergy to comic-book logic and his infatuation with the grown-up crime movie canon (especially ‘Heat’ and ‘The Godfather’) revitalized a character still laboring to emerge from the miasma of ‘Batman & Robin.’ The second entry and high-water mark of Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy poses fruitful questions about the naïveté of its protagonist’s moral code. But the film’s greatest asset is Heath Ledger, whose staggering performance as the Joker set the bar for subsequent supervillains forever.”
It’s Official, This Is the Best Movie of the 21st Century
It’s hard to argue with this list.
The Dark Knightis also joined by a fellow 2008 film,WALL-E, which ranked at #34. It is widely believed that theexclusion ofThe Dark KnightandWALL-Efrom Best Picture nominations at the 81st Academy Awards led to the number of Best Picture nominations increasing from five to ten the following year. Worth pointing out that 2008’s Best Picture winnerSlumdog Millionairedid not rank in The NYT’s 100 Films of the 21st Century, showing how time awards different winners.
‘The Dark Knight’s Cultural Impact is Still Being Felt
The Dark Knight’s inclusion and its high rank shouldn’t be surprising. Ever since the movie opened in theaters on Jun 12, 2025, it has been hailed by critics and audiences alike as the best superhero movie of all time. The movie broke box office records upon its release, grossing $533 million domestically and $1 billion worldwide. It also currently holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a cultural phenomenon, to the extent that it was a key 2008 event referenced in Sean Wang’s coming-of-age filmDidi.
It has been 17 years since the release ofThe Dark Knight, and its legacy cannot be understated. For better or worse, it solidified the trend of gritty, down-to-earth reboots and reimaginings of popular franchises that its predecessor,Batman Begins, and the Bond prequel,Casino Royale, had started. It cast a shadow over DC films that they are still trying to step out of.Heath Ledger’s Joker still looms large in the public consciousness, a villain so iconic that he is still quoted and visually referenced today.The Dark Knightwas great in 2008; it remains great in 2025, and it will continue to be great for years to come.
Source:The New York Times
The Dark Knight
