Despite the many, many superhero movies being released every single year, most agree that the best comic book trilogy was released during the 2000s and into the 2010s, and it just landed on free streaming. Some phenomenal directors have lent their talents to the superhero genre, but when Christopher Nolan stepped up to bat to bring Batman to the big screen for Warner Bros., he created cinematic magic. That’s right, The Dark Knight Trilogy is now streaming for free, so free up your weekend (or call in sick to work) and sit down to (re)watch the best superhero trilogy ever made.
The Dark Knight Trilogy is now streaming for free on Tubi. Christopher Nolan’s phenomenal Batman trilogy was added to the free streaming platform as part of its December offerings. The Dark Knight Trilogy began exactly 20 years ago with Batman Begins. The film introduced audiences to Christian Bale’s version of Bruce Wayne, which grounded the character in as much realism as is possible when your protagonist beats up poor people while dressed like a bat. The film also gave us Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred (which was perfect casting), Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow, and Liam Neeson as an Irish version of Ra’s al Ghul.
The Dark Knight Trilogy continued in 2008 with the appropriately titled The Dark Knight. That movie needs little introduction, as it’s often hailed as the best superhero movie ever made, thanks in large part to Heath Ledger’s seminal performance as The Joker. Finally, the trilogy came to a close in 2012. Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy all joined Christopher Nolan’s trusted troupe for the final installment in the trilogy, with Hardy playing the mountain of muscle that is: Bane. All three films were lauded by critics and audiences upon their release, and Christopher Nolan’s increasingly passionate fandom has only heightened the popularity surrounding The Dark Knight Trilogy in recent years.
The Dark Knight Trilogy Saved Batman Movies
Depending on how old you are, you either remember Batman Begins as your first Batman movie or as the film that redeemed The Dark Knight on the big screen after years of campier movies. Tim Burton’s Batman is an ’80s classic. But its sequels were less than stellar. In 1997, George Clooney donned the cowl (along with some rubber nipples) for Batman & Robin. The film was absolutely maligned by DC fans, and Clooney still apologizes for the film to this day.
It took eight years for fans to collectively forget about the film before Christopher Nolan stepped in to redeem Batman on the big screen. Thankfully, the wait was well worth it. The Dark Knight trilogy is the highest-rated superhero trilogy of all time (according to IMDb). The Dark Knight is easily the magnum opus of the series, with a prestigious 9.1 rating. But Batman Begins holds an 8.2 rating, and the once divisive The Dark Knight Rises holds an even better 8.4 rating. As well as being one of the most beloved (The Dark Knight has an astounding 9.1 rating on IMDb) trilogies of all time, The Dark Knight Trilogy also changed the landscape of superhero cinema. Studios now wanted darker, more realistic interpretations of comic book heroes, leading to films like Kick-Ass, Logan, and Zack Snyder’s DCEU.
- Release Date
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July 16, 2008
- Runtime
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152 minutes
- Producers
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Benjamin Melniker, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Kevin De La Noy, Michael Uslan