The Dark Knight

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

RELEASED 16 Jul 20082h 32m★ 8.5 TMDB★ Essential pick

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Why it matters in DC

Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent try to make progress through different forms of authority, while the Joker attacks the stability of their partnership. The film matters within the trilogy because the cost of defending Gotham becomes inseparable from the methods used to defend it.

Watch these first

1 title to watch before The Dark Knight — 2h 20m in total.

Batman BeginsStory prerequisite2h 20m★ 7.7

Opens the planner with just this title, so you can set your own pace.

How this title is selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

Explore the full viewing guide

Where it fits in the DC universe

The Dark Knight is title 2 of 3 in our The Dark Knight Trilogy viewing sequence. This is the middle chapter of the Dark Knight trilogy, following the Batman and Gotham established in Batman Begins. The relationships around Gordon and Harvey Dent become important to the concluding film. Keep the trilogy together; appearances by other screen Batmen elsewhere in the catalogue do not extend its continuity.

Explore this viewing sequence